NUN-SENSE

”What is faith, and what does it look like?”  Sister Rachel Burrows, a Carmelite sister, answered that question and others in a recent interview published in the April 4th issue of Christian Century.

Sister Rachel speaks straight to the heart of what it means to be a Christian and to have faith.  So I share her words with you.  I want you to notice the stress on doing, on faith as a decision, and on engagement.  Faith is not about sitting and agreeing to a set of propositions, but it is about getting up and moving… doing… being.

Here is, in part, what Sister Rachel has to say:

“We are speaking of Christian faith, and that is faith in Jesus Christ as the incarnate Word of God.  The object of our Christian faith is the God revealed in Jesus Christ.

“Faith is never a mere intellectual assent, but always involves commitment.  It is always in action, more a verb than a noun.  Faith cannot be one facet or a particular aspect of my life, but my whole life.

“Many people think they have no faith because they feel they haven’t.  They do not realize that they must make a choice to believe, take the risk of believing, of committing themselves and setting themselves to live out the commitment.  Under the cover of ‘authentic’ we can spend our lives waiting for the kind of certainty we cannot have.

“I do not see how we can talk of faith if we eliminate the possibility of doubt.  We cannot have the certainties that our nature craves and finds in the evidence of the senses.  In times of difficult my anchorage is the Gospels.  There I encounter Christ, ‘Light most beautiful.’

“Fundamentally, we are afraid of death and all the diminishments that are mini-deaths, things…that make us feel insecure, unhappy, and so on.  In him we have perfect, absolute security.  We have the absolute certainty of being loved by the all-wise, all-loving Creator who promises us a future of such glory that it outweighs beyond measure the sufferings of this world.  My advice to all is to study the New Testament, especially the Gospels, in order to get to know Jesus and so recognize him as the Way, the Truth and Life, the one who has come to give us eternal life.”

Faith is choosing to believe.  Faith is making a commitment.  Faith is living out that commitment.  It is an active thing.  A salt and light kind of existence.

Faith isn’t nodding and sitting where you are: faith is getting up and following.  Look around – you’ll see people getting up and following here at First/The Open Door!

(You may want to read Sister Ruth’s books “Guidelines for Mystical Prayer” and “Love Unknown.”)

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark

WALKING THE FIELDS

This weekend we step into a seasonal rhythm.  Bicycles are taken down and prepared for the Summer, grills are cleaned off and put to work, lawn furniture is wiped clean and set out, flowers are planted.  Some of us are looking forward to the first trip around the lake on skis.  Tens of thousands will be at the speedway in Indy this weekend.

You and I both know this, but Memorial Day Weekend is about more than a day off from work or the first big family barbecue of the season.  It is a moment when we give thanks for those who sacrificed so we might be free and the world might be more just.

Several times I have had the opportunity to walk the ground where the Battle of Gettysburg was fought.  As you walk the fields across which those men fought so long ago you realize how precious are our freedom and our unity.  The ground across which Pickett’s men charged towards Cemetery Ridge slopes up gently.

Those who by their rhetoric and politics would separate us into Red and Blue nations should walk that ground.  The blood shed on that soil testifies to our unity.  We are one nation… undivided.  This essential unity, this freedom we have to live, and work, and worship, and speak, is a gift that has been given to us at a great cost.  That conflict was our way of deciding we would do life together: all regions, all economic groups, men and women, black and white, Catholics, Jews and Protestants.

The freedom we have, scripture says, is much more than the freedom to grab what we can for ourselves, but it is a freedom to serve, to build up, to share.  Freedom can become  destructive selfishness if it is not shaped by a commitment to the common good.

Some of you have walked the fields of Normandy or North Africa.  You have realized how much was given by men and women in far away places to defeat the hate-fueled madness of Nazi Germany and its allies.

After having been at war in distant places for more than a decade our nation is beginning to turn its attention to the needs in the areas of education, neighborhood revitalization, healthcare, etc.  On this Memorial Day Weekend, though, we understand this is about much more than an extra day off work or a family barbecue.

Walk the fields.  You’ll realize we have been given a precious gift by brave men and women.  Jesus, in the Gospel of John, says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Join me in giving thanks, won’t you?  Join me in walking the field and remembering.  Let us be faithful custodians of what we have been given as a nation.  God help us to use our freedom responsibly so we build a better future for all.  God keep us from saying or doing anything to tear apart the unity that makes us one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all!

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark

TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AT THE TABLE

People say never to talk politics or religion at family get-togethers.  There is always the danger that people will take sides, raise the volume level, and stop listening.

Yet healthy families don’t avoid important conversations even though people we love may take a different position on the issue.  So we need to speak to what the General Conference of the United Methodist Church did (or didn’t) do when it comes to the question of the ordination of persons who are gay or lesbian and whether we will allow UM clergy to bless the union/marriages of gay couples.

As you read this article please remember that First UMC/The Open Door are Christ-centered communities open to all persons.  Everyone  -whatever their age, gender, sexual orientation, or marital status-  will be welcomed, loved, and discipled here.

At the meeting in Tampa a few weeks ago more than 900 lay and clergy delegates from around the world voted to keep the official position of the UMC on homosexuality.  This position has often angered conservatives and frustrated those who are considered more liberal.

In part that statement in our Book of Discipline (Para. 161) calls us to “responsible stewardship of this sacred gift” (sexuality).  Sexual relations are “affirmed only with the covenant of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.”

The UMC is an advocate for the human and civil rights of all people whatever their age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Our General Conference voted to retain language in our Book of Discipline that says:  “We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God.  All persons need the ministry of the Church…  The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.  We affirm that God’s grace is available to all.  We will seek to live together in Christian community, welcoming, forgiving, and loving one another, as Christ has loved and accepted us.”

The decision not to change the official position of the denomination was cheered by some and broke the hearts of others.  The truth is that we are a family where people differ on this issue.

Here are a couple of observations:
 

1. Much of this conversation has to do with how we read scripture.  Both sides in this conversation need to anchor their position in Biblical truth.  It is true that portions of the OT and NT condemn homosexuality, but then the Bible says not to work on the Sabbath, not to remarry after being divorced, not to mix fabrics together, etc.  How do we read these passages that refer to homosexuality?  And what does the example of Christ, as he shows us how to love one another, shape our reading of scripture?

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2. The UMC is solidly in support of the civil rights of all persons regardless of gender or sexual orientation.  That position puts us on the side of those seeking legal rights that are given to heterosexual couples, it seems to me.

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3. The position of the UMC is “evolving” on homosexuality.  North Americans tend to be more liberal on this issue, but the growing African church is more conservative.  It was the voice of 3rd world Christians that helped stop any change in our position.  Being a global church means it is sometimes difficult for us to work our way to a common position.

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4. We are committed to First/ The Open Door being a Christ-centered community where all are welcomed, all are loved, all are discipled, and all are encouraged to use their serving/leadership gifts for God.

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5. Sometimes one of the toughest things to do is to stay at the table when the family conversation doesn’t go where you wanted it to go.  Whether you agree with the official position of the UMC or you are bitterly disappointed, I pray that we will all stay at the table.  Keep growing together.  Keep learning together.  Keep serving together.  Letting Christ’s call to love one another as he has loved us overwhelm any temptation to push our chair back and walk away.

This brief article is certainly not a final word or a full report, but I believed you needed to hear something from your pastors about the actions of our General Conference.

Would you pray for the church as we ask God to help us do a better job of hearing God’s voice, listening to one another, and growing in our ability to love all people?

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark

SCUPPERS RETURNS

One of my favorite stories as a child was Margaret Wise Brown’s Scuppers the Sailor Dog.  Scuppers has, as one person describes it, “an irresistible urge to sail the sea.”  His boat is small and doesn’t look very seaworthy.  Although shipwrecked for awhile, Scuppers repairs his boat and heads back out on the water.  After stowing all his gear where it should be “he is back where he should be – a sailor sailing the deep, green sea.”

About two months ago I told several friends that it was time for a break.  I’ve not done a good job keeping the Sabbath, so I needed a week or two to step back, pray, journal, and breathe.  So after spending a week in Florida with our family I  -after making some last minute arrangements-  set off on a 13-day repositioning cruise across the Atlantic to England.  The timing was awful because I missed the weekend when Michael and the Chancel Choir shared such a beautiful gift with us.  But scheduling is a tricky thing because life in the church never stops – so I went.

I walked the decks of the ship, I journaled, I worked out, I read mysteries and theology, and I watched the ocean go by.

Before I left, I wrote a short article that was to have been included in the weekly emails but somehow that never went out.  So I thought I would tell you about the trip this week  -and let you know if you weren’t in worship last week-  that I am back!

A couple of tidbits and observations.

First, I love the water.  We skirted the edge of a gale storm that had 60 MPH winds and 26 foot tall seas.  I would stand on the deck of the ship and watch the bow cut into the swells and send foam flying.  Others complained about the storm, but I found it invigorating.

Second, one evening I participated in an “open microphone” comedy club event.  After a string of other “lay comedians” had told jokes about pastors, priests and rabbis (most of which were beyond the bounds of good taste), I stood up and said, “I may ruin your evening but I am a United Methodist pastor.”  People roared.  (I didn’t think that was so funny!)  Then, I told one story and sat down.  People came up to me through the week and said, “You’re really funny.  Are you sure you are a pastor?”

Third, I found myself now and then in the middle of conversations that were pastoral…holy.  People didn’t know I was a pastor, but I would strike up conversations, ask about their lives, and soon we were often going deep into family stuff…soul stuff.  It is amazing how we become aware of God’s presence and the miracle in each life when we slow down and listen.

Frederick Buechner says God calls you to “listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.”

Bruce Epperly writes, “Our lives are a holy adventure in which each moment provides new possibilities for Spirit-filled living. Take a moment to relax, breathing in God’s calm presence. In this quiet moment, remember the moments when your life most reflected God’s creativity. Experience the joy of being fully alive. Take some time to journal about these spiritual high points if you wish. Give thanks for God’s creative presence in your life.”

God finds me in a special way when I get on or near water (or in the mountains).  God finds me when I am with those I love.  God renews me in worship and also when I slip away for a time when I am not responsible for problem solving or leading.  God refreshes me when I can let myself focus on being more than doing.

It was good getting away.  And it is very good coming home.

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark

MAKING CHANGE THROUGH LOVE

"We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another."

-I John 3:16
 

Last week we talked about what it means to love…to really love in a  “be changed and change the world kind of way.” We are loved that powerfully by Christ. He taught us that loving that way means laying down our life for another. This is hard stuff. It doesn’t come naturally.

So how do we learn to love this way? We practice. If you want to learn to beautifully speak another language, then go to the land where that language is spoken. If you want to improve in a particular sport, go to the field, court, or course that was built for its playing. If you want to grow in Christ’s kind of love, practice in the community founded and grown through His powerful Spirit. Come, get on the practice field. Practice serving and laying down some gifts, time, resources, and care. Feel free to laugh, get dirty, make mistakes, and grow.  All the while we are being shaped by the practice of loving in the way of Christ. Christ is shaping us in love. He is preparing us to be better at shaping our world in love.

Come and practice loving in new and different ways!  Call to talk to the volunteer receptionist at 812-332-6396 or email volunterreceptionist@fumcb.org to sign up or ask questions!
 

Opportunities to “Lay it Down”
How might you offer yourself in this Christ-following community in a new or deeper way?

Connect:
Support connections to God, this community, and each other

1.    Welcome Teams in the Sanctuary
2.    Welcome Teams at the Open Door
3.    New Member Sponsors/Friends
4.    Newcomer Information Team: Welcome Tables, ‘First Connections Gathering’

Grow:
Grow in faith with one another

1.    Teaching Team: Sunday School during the summer for children, or during the year for children or youth
2.    Chaperone Teams: Vacation Bible School or Jr./Sr. High Youth
3.    Small Groups: Participant, facilitator, or organizer
4.    Worship Liturgists: Read in worship
5.    Communion Teams in the Sanctuary
6.    Communion Teams at the Open Door

Serve:
Reach out to one another

1.    Habitat Building Team for June
2.    Tornado Relief Teams
3.    Caring Teams (Visit or write notes to the homebound and sick)
4.    Nursing Home Visiting Team (Visit Elder Folk in Nursing Homes)
5.    Feeding Teams: Planning and preparing Church/community picnic or FEAST community meal