Making My Church An Apple Store?

      Came across an interesting blog by a pastor who made a handful of observations about retail Apple Stores.  Evidently they are wildly successful and make all kinds of money for the company.  He thinks it makes sense to consider how they do that--and apply some of those principles to the church.  To read his article check out:  

http://ywmovement.org/make-your-church-an-apple-store/

    There is some envy for sure on the part of us Christians.  We would like our churches to be as 'cool' for the unchurched or the general public as Apple and products are to the computer/iphone/ipod buyers out there.  And I wonder if our desire to be cool has more to do with us than it does with Jesus.  I'm not sure Jesus was ever that worried about whether he was cool or not.  He worried that folks were or were not getting the message.  And I suppose if you could make the argument that being 10% cooler would help people out there get our message, well then maybe I'd give it more consideration.

     In any case, check out the link above.  He's got some interesting things to say.  Some of them might be very helpful for those of us INSIDE the church to remember about those who are still OUTSIDE the church.

Picking A Side

       I just want to follow up on some of the discussions we’ve been having--as followers of Jesus who are trying figure out how to think, act, and pray about the events and issues of our day.  I have been chewing on a famous quote attributed to my favorite President (and soon to be Oscar winner) Abraham Lincoln.  In 1867, Francis Carpenter, who had spent six months in the Lincoln White House, wrote the following:

No nobler reply ever fell from the lips of a ruler, than that uttered by President Lincoln in response to the clergyman who ventured to say, in his presence, that he hoped "the Lord was on our side."

"I am not at all concerned about that," replied Mr. Lincoln, "for I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."

         I love Lincoln’s insight.  It helps me remember that my job isn’t to hitch Jesus to my preference, my cause, my perspective, but rather my job is to figure out the preference of Jesus, to best understand his perspective, and ally myself to the Kingdom, which was the cause Jesus died pursuing.

Lord knows it’s a good time to be reminded of Lincoln’s insight.  The Spielberg film on is a powerful testimony of how even the messiest “sausage making” of government can still produce something noble and true.  We’re having simultaneous national conversations about a number of important issues.  We are wrestling with what should and should not be done to curb gun violence—especially in the face of horrific mass shootings.

We’re debating how best to balance bulging deficits with the chronic joblessness brought about by the Great Recession.

It is beginning to look like we are finally debating a comprehensive fix to our broken immigration system.

And we are starting to discuss the limitations of military intervention as well as how far diplomatic pressure can go in bringing peace to some seriously chaotic corners of our world.

It just strikes me as an ideal time for us to reconsider whether Jesus is really as enamored with our political and theological stances as we previously thought.  Have we been asking him to be on our side or have we tried to figure out where His side is and cleave as closely to it as we can? 

In my own life, I’ve discovered that the territory staked out by Jesus is surprisingly inconsistent.  Jesus wanted to conserve the best of the past when it came to the Law of Moses, but he also put enormous hope in the power of God to create a new relationship with God’s people.  Jesus had words of judgment for the sin of some, and nothing but comfort and forgiveness for the sin of others.  At times Jesus took a radical political position, and then turned around the next moment and confessed that his true Kingdom is not of this world. In moments of prayer, I’ve known Jesus to touch me with profound peace and then kick me firmly in the rear end ten minutes later—during the same prayer.

         No one said a life of discipleship would be easy.  In fact, if I remember right Jesus warned us that it would be fraught with difficulties.  There are faithful, loving women and men of God who can disagree quite vociferously with me on any number of issues, but who are nevertheless beloved sisters and brothers in Christ.  I have to trust that they have done everything they can to discern “God’s side” and have put themselves on it.  In fact, if we take the time to listen and respect one another we may discover that we have immeasurably more in common than we first thought.  We may even both be on God’s side—he or she on the left and me on the right or vice versa.  If nothing else, the love we share from God and the desire we have to serve Jesus far outweigh anything that threatens to come between us.

         If God is for us—on our side--than who or what can be against us?  If we both place ourselves at His side—than what can possibly come between us?

Jesus Gifts At Christmas Time

I have this beautiful poem hanging on my office wall.  It was an anonymous gift that means a great deal to me.  It describes Jesus-like gifts that we can give this season.
I know things are going to be crazy for me for the next week, so I'll be reading this more often.  If I don't get another post up before the anniversary of our Savior's birth, then God's blessings to you.  May you give and receive some of what is offered here.

This Christmas . . .

  Mend a quarrel,

  Seek out a forgotten friend,

  Write a love letter,

  Share some treasure,

  Give a soft answer,

  Encourage youth,

  Keep a promise,

  Find the time,

  Forgive an enemy,

  Listen,

  Apologize if you’re wrong,

  Think first of someone else,

  Be kind and gentle,

  Laugh a little,

  Laugh a little more,

  Express your gratitude,

  Gladden the heart of a child,

  Take pleasure in beauty and wonder,

   Speak your love,

       Speak it again,

          Speak it still once again.

A War On Advent?!?

    I came across an online article that suggests that cable news stations which keep covering the on-going war on Christmas, inadvertently create an environment that is hostile to Advent (the Christian season of preparation for the birth of the Christ child).  In other words, all the focus on Christmas--that starts earlier and earlier--that would seem to support the Christian celebration of Jesus' birth, actually undercuts our tradition of reflection and patient waiting in the days leading up to December 25.
   Here is the bulk of Diana Butler Bass' essay.  Ms. Bass is an excellent communicator and her book, Christianity After Religion, is one of the first books in line for me to read in 2013. Here is her take:

"According to ancient Christian tradition, "Christmas" is not the December shopping season in advance of Christmas Day; rather, it is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the Twelve Days following that run until early January. During most of December, Christians observe Advent, a four-week season of reflection, preparation and waiting that precedes the yearly celebration of Jesus' birth. In many mainstream and liturgical (and even liberal and progressive) churches, no Christmas hymn will pass the lips of a serious churchgoer for another two weeks. If you wander into a local Lutheran, Episcopal or Roman Catholic parish, the congregation will still be chanting the ethereal tones of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" or "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night." There are no poinsettias, no Christmas pageants, no trees or holly, and no red and green altar linens. A few days ago, they might have preached about St. Nicholas -- but not Santa Claus. There are no twinkling lights or over-the-top Christmas displays. Just four candles in a simple wreath, two partially burned, two yet to be lit. The mood is somber as December moves toward deeper darkness, and the night lengthens. The world waits, and it is time to prepare for the arrival of God's kingdom. It is not Christmas. It is Advent.

During these weeks, churches are not merry. There is a muted sense of hope and expectation. Christians recollect God's ancient promise to Israel for a kingdom where lion and lamb will lie down together. The ministers preach from stark biblical texts about the poor and oppressed being lifted up while the rich and powerful are cast down, about society being leveled and oppression ceasing. Christians remember the Hebrew prophets and long for a Jewish Messiah to be born. The Sunday readings extol social and economic justice, and sermons are preached about the cruelty of ancient Rome and political repression. Hymns anticipate world peace and universal harmony. Churchgoers listen to the testimony of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who speaks of God: 

He has shown strength with his arm; 
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, 
and lifted up the lowly; 
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

Does [cable] News want us all to say "Merry Christmas" so we forget about Advent? These, after all, are the four weeks that the Christian tradition dedicates to God's vision of justice for the outcast and oppressed, not to celebrating the sound of ringing cash registers or Victorian America values.

Ancient Christian saints, theologians and evangelists would be horrified that those who claim to stand for tradition have forgotten the most important aspect of it. Jesus Christ was not born that human beings would spend December shopping or saying, "Merry Christmas." Jesus was born to confront the rulers of this world with the love and justice of the God of Abraham -- that Jesus, the same Jesus who preached the the poor and marginalized were blessed, is the King of kings and Lord of lords. All earthly powers pale before him, the humble born one who will die a political traitor to Rome.

Perhaps [War on Christmas folks] think it might be best if Christians did not spend too much time contemplating a Savior who promised to overthrow the powers-that-be in favor of a kingdom where the poor are blessed and the last shall be first. That's probably bad for business and does not exactly fit with their favored political philosophy.

And maybe, just maybe, the real war of this season is the War on Advent."

It's an interesting and thought provoking essay, if you agree or disagree.  At St. Andrew we  try and put the brakes on Christmas hymns, carols, and celebrations before Christmas Eve, but on the other hand, it feels as if we've lost that battle with the culture around us.  We don't observe Advent the way it was designed to be observed, in part, because the society around us is so far out ahead of us with decorations, music, and holiday specials and events.  I do hope, though, that we don't back away from the reality that the message of Christ's coming is a radical one.  It's what they call in politics today 'A Game Changer'.  As I said last Sunday, in many ways the War on Christmas is a war on Christ.  It's just that we have misunderstood that nature of the battle, who the enemy really is, and which side we need to be on.  Hope this essay keeps the conversation going.

Another Front On the War (Against Christmas)

     I talked yesterday in worship about the war on Christmas being essentially a war on the mission and purpose of God's Christ.  Choosing Mary, in Nazareth, in Galilee, in Judea at the farthest corner of the Roman Empire...poor, temporarily homeless, hunted by the authorities, sneaking across the border to a foreign land, etc.--it's radical stuff.  Go back and reread the first chapter of Luke.  No wonder the powers and principalities of this world are willing to go to war in order to stop the momentum of the Kingdom Movement Jesus came to start.
     But there is another way to think of the War on Christmas.  And that is the war that is being waged by consumerism, corporate marketers, big box and online stores, a huge economic engine that looks more and more to the Christmas season to make ends meet.  It's subtle and insidious.  It takes advantage of our desire to give gifts of love and gratitude and turns it into something much more self-centered and contrived.  
        I came across a blog last week while working on the sermon and though I intended to quote it during the message, it got cut due to time.  The author is Mark Sandlin and I'd like to quote one paragraph from his blog:

[Is there a] War on Christmas? [Or is there...]A war on what Christmas has become? A war on worshiping consumerism in the sacred halls of Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy while the world is swallowed up in the darkness of not having enough food to eat, a place to live, clean water to drink, access to reasonable health care? Sign me up, because I refuse to let the story of my faith be co-opted by corporations who only wish to convince us that we are privileged and we do deserve what we have more than othesr and we should revel in our abundance even as we celebrate the birth of the child who laid in a feeding trough, who lived his life with no place to lay his head, who told us that “just as you do it unto the least of these so to you do it unto me," a child who gave up his very life that we might understand what true love looks like. 

I'm not entirely sure how we fight against this attack on our hearts and on the heart of our Christmas worship, but fight against we must.  I would begin with prayer, in fact, I will begin with prayer.  And after that it wouldn't hurt to try and gain a little perspective on our compulsion to spend and give to a certain level rather than to share the greatest gift--the gift of ourselves, offered in love.  It's not easy, especially if you have young children.  But it is especially important, if you have young children, to make sure that they know the deepest meaning of Christ's birth.  It's a whole lot easier to set up traditions when your kids are young then when they've grown accustomed to big expensive gifts, or toy after toy after  toy.  I think this might be one front on this war that we can actually win if we are clear what is at stake and take it seriously enough to do something about it.

If you'd like to read the entire blog check out:

http://sojo.net/blogs/2012/11/30/war-christmas-sign-minister

Christmas Not Just for Christians Anymore

       Christmas isn’t just for Christians anymore.  Actually, it never was.  The baby was born to all this [Christmas] day in the city of David, just happens to be Christ the Lord.  Sure, I know the Jewish context.  Yes, I’m aware of the fact that Christians are the ones who have kept his birth front and center for a couple of thousand years.  Yet God came into the world, the light entered into the darkness, to save the world, and to illumine the darkness—all of it.  Just because we Christians “get it” doesn’t mean the nativity was just for us. 

Think of it this way:

         You develop a vaccine for AIDS.  Do you sell it to the highest bidder knowing that it will be safeguarded for those who have the wealth to afford it?  Or do you do everything in your power to make sure that those who are at risk can receive it, no matter what the cost?

         You hear a song so beautiful that it inspires the heart of all who hear it.  Do you sing it for yourself and your family and friends? Or do you bombard the airwaves for those whose lives are devoid of inspiration?

         You happen upon a protein rich, delectable vegetable that can grow in nearly all conditions and is about as hard to get rid of as a thistle.  Do you leave it to the small remote tribe that thrives on it or do you take the seeds and send them to Sub-Saharan Africa, ship them to the protein poor Altiplano in Bolivia, or offer them to Palestinian women in the Gaza strip to supplement their meager gardens?

         You have a dear friend who can literally fix anything.  If it’s broken, unassembled, if you cannot figure out how to make some project around the house work—you know you can call him and he’ll drop what he’s doing and come over and within the hour he’ll have the problem solved.  He’s retired and he loves to be needed (and he’s truly a great example of servanthood).  Do you keep him your little secret, knowing that you’ve got more than your fair share of things that need fixing?  Or do you introduce him to friends and acquaintances that could use his help?

         I know that Jesus shows up as a new born baby.  He’s extraordinary, I know that, but I also know that as far as babies go he’s pretty much limited to crying, eating, sleeping, and dirtying his swaddling cloths.  He’s born to poor parents on the run from the authorities, refugees in another nation, and then goes on to become either an apprentice carpenter or a rabbi-in-training with the local teacher of the law.  It’s going to be a while until he sets out to publically reveal that he is the long-awaited Anointed One of God.  But we know who he is because we’re experiencing this celebration in rewind/reverse.  We see the manger in light of the cross.  We see the angels coming down from the heavens from the perspective of Jesus ascending upward into heaven.  As Christians, we experience Christmas the birth of our Savior from the perspective of sinners who have already been saved—as the blind who can finally see—as lost souls who have been found and restored to our place as sons and daughters of royalty.

         If we just go about our advent season, if we just chug along toward our family Christmas celebration, without inviting the folks who populate our daily lives to come and join us, it would be the equivalent to keeping the vaccine, the beautiful song, the life sustaining vegetable, and our miraculously gifted friend all to ourselves.  And in each of those contexts we would consider such behavior unconscionable.  We would consider it heartless.  Keeping Jesus to ourselves—hoarding his grace and forgiveness for ‘me and mine’—especially during this holiday season, is equally unconscionable for followers of the living Christ.

         Christmas is not just for Christians, in fact, if you go back and reread the Christmas story you discover that Christmas was specifically directed to those who could be found outside the synagogue and Temple of the day:  scruffy shepherds, foreign magicians, provincial out-of-towners holed up in the caves on the outskirts of the city, and so on and so on.  I don’t so much think God cares how you do it, but I do honestly believe that God expects you and I to share the incredible news that “God is With Us”.  And, though we are often reticent to mention it in today’s church, I think God will hold us accountable for what we do with the Good News He has entrusted to us.  I suspect it will be part of that difficult conversation some of us will have with our Creator when He brings us Home once and for all.

         I’m going to invite a few folks I know who don’t attend worship to join me during this advent season at St. Andrew.  I’m going to be a little more eager to offer to pray for those who share a concern or worry with me in the course of my day.  I’m going to put a yard sign in my front lawn, a window sticker in my car, and I’m going to carry a few cards in my pocket that include an uplifting Christmas promise and the times for our Christmas Eve worship.  I may or may not knock on doors up and down my block, but when I stop and consider—even for a moment—how richly the Christ of Bethlehem has blessed me, I know that I should not and cannot keep it to myself.

         It helps to remind myself:  Christmas is not just for Christians anymore.

eGossip is Still Gossip & God Hates It

        I read an interesting blog by a Methodist pastor in Alabama about eGossip.  A friend emails you something that makes your blood boil, or makes you afraid, or breaks your heart.  Since the person who sent it to you is above suspicion in your eyes you forward it right away.  The problem is that many or most of these just aren't true.  Passing along political gossip, religious gossip, and even some versions of celebrity or important people gossip--without taking the time to verify it--is still gossip.  And gossip is roundly condemned again and again by God in our scriptures.
       It's like the story about a man who passes along a choice bit of gossip that deeply wounds someone, someone who ends up being entirely innocent of what was said about her.  In fact, the story damages her reputation in the eyes of their mutual circle of friends and the man feels terrible about it.  He goes to his pastor and asks what he can do to take it back, to make it all better.  The pastor tells him to take a down pillow, slice it open, and put a handful of down feathers on the front stoop of everyone who was touched or deceived by the gossip he passed on.  
       He comes back to the pastor and says, "Now what?"  The pastor says, "Go back and gather up all the feathers--and don't miss a single one."  It becomes apparent to the man very quickly that he cannot get those feathers back.  It turned out to be a blustery day and the feathers have been scattered everywhere.  He does the best he can, but he comes back to the pastor more or less empty handed.  "I can't get them all back," he blurts out, "So what do I do now?"
      The pastor then says just like you cannot get those feathers back after taking them out and spreading them around, you can't go back and retrieve the harm your gossip has produced.  But, the pastor said, it doesn't mean that you don't try.  "You go back and apologize to the one you've hurt and beg her forgiveness. But before you do that, you need to do your best to figure out who was harmed by what you passed along. It's your job to correct the impression you gave.  And then, of course, you don't ever do anything like that again."
      Once you negatively alter someone's perspective--prejudice or poison someone's view of another--it's almost impossible to get all of the poison out of their system.  It doesn't matter if they are an acquaintance or the President or the Governor or a movie star.  Gossip is almost always false witness.  Gossip may even be true.  Having a juicy piece of knowledge that others don't have is intoxicating, that is it is intoxicating when you share it. But is it noble?  Is it building up or tearing down?  Are you yourself above similar reproach in your personal life?  Is this how you would want others to treat you or your husband, or your son, your best friend?
       I am personally tired of the paranoid conspiracies of the political left and right being passed around as truth.  I really get worried when stories about missing children are sent around--where someone might actually go out and try to help--when the story is ten years old.  I think I'm going to scream if I get another forwarded email about how Hollywood, or the government, or the Target Stores are running God out of the public square.  God doesn't need to be in the public square--God needs to be in the lives and homes of faithful women and men.  God needs to be alive and well and at work through God's church.  If the celebration of the birth of Christ has to rely on a department store standing up for Christmas, then we've got a lot bigger problems than holiday greetings.
     I always tell myself, "They mean well."  But I wonder if God differentiates between well intended gossip and the garden variety gossip that is batted around.
     Please check out the web site snopes.com before you send something along--no matter how innocuous it may seem.  Please be careful what goes out from you on social media:  facebook, twitter, email, texts.  It is so easy and immediate to just push send that often what we send has a very different effect than what we may have first thought.  Once a piece of gossip travels from your phone or computer out into cyberspace it is not only beyond your control and ability to take it back, but in many ways it can become a permanent byte of data that will live far beyond your frustration, anger, or rash judgment of the moment.
    If you'd like to read the full blog about egossip, check out:
http://www.churchandtea.com/2012/11/avoiding-egossip/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChurchAndTea+%28Church+and+Tea%29