Well Fed Spirit

I was asked to speak at a local congregation about something I am passionate about.  That word, passionate, is not one I use to describe my interest in a hobby, project, or topic.  I do understand the context of the times and the motivational nature of marketing, engagement, and inspiring persons that is part of our culture and church speak now.  What’s your passion? I can do the translation work that honors the spirit of the request and also fits my conceptual set.  Thank you liberal arts education.  I don’t think of myself as a particularly passionate person though I have a history of being a hot head and am considered by some to be arrogant, conceded, and convinced about my skill set and knowledge in an area or two.  I am passionate about nurturing the relationship with my beloved of twenty-nine years.

I am one of those that has embraced that time away from your local congregation and family is generally a good and necessary part of personal growth and a well fed spirit.  It is important for both the religious and non-religious alike.  A daily walk, yearly pilgrimage, church camp, or retreat can stretch the spiritual muscles or fill the batteries that help one traverse life and the human condition.

I borrowed that phrase, “well fed spirit,” from a colleague and friend, Rev. Warren.  You can find his website dedicated to spirituality at Well Fed Spirit.

What follows are my words, lightly edited, that I offered at First Christian Church in El Reno for their first “Church Chat” during the Sunday school hour.  It was World Communion Sunday (October 7).

Good morning church.  It is good to be with Disciples this morning to chat a bit.  It is one of the things we usually do well, especially when there is food, talking about our experiences following Jesus and balancing our beliefs in our lives.  This morning I want to explore what it means to have a “well fed spirit,” and how our summer camp program, retreats, study trips, and mission trips are an important part of a well fed spirit.

Do you remember the first time you realized that God exists?  Maybe it was simply a moment when God was real for you for the first time.

I remember.  It was the summer between seventh and eighth grade.  I was at campfire on Thursday night at Chi Rho Camp.  The crescendo of crickets and bull frogs drowned out the sound of feet shuffling in gravel and pine straw.  It is something we Disciples do at summer camp: sit around a campfire for s’mores, stories, sing, pray, and sweat.   Camp Wildur was a pretty flat place.  It was just slightly higher than the bayou and swamp land that were part of the east side of the property.  The trees seemed to reach the sky and many adorned with moss. The campfire circle sat at the bottom of a hill just behind the main building that was both dining hall and rec hall.

I think we were supposed to be in a silent prayer.  I looked up and the silhouette of shadows from the fire light made it hard to find the camper I hoped to walk back to the cabin when campfire was over.  Trying to see across the flames I noticed the embers and smoke lifting into the night sky.  I watched one ember float up and up and up until it flickered one last time and my gaze was on the night sky.  I was a Boy Scout who had seen the night sky many, many times.  But something was different.  The stars seems so close they could be touched.  I had grown up going to Sunday school and Church.  My family was active in Church.  I knew about God.  I had been baptized, confirmed, baptized a second time, that’s a story for another day, but in that moment God was known.  I felt it somehow.  The night breeze seemed cooler and stronger that nights past.  The moss seemed to dance in swaying trees.  When I think back on it now it was as if God was dancing and celebrating that another person, me, realized God was real.

Back at the cabin one of our counselors, John, asked as we settled down for the night, “Did anyone have a God moment today?”

I’ve said yes to Disciples summer camp ever since.  It is intentional Christian community.  That kind of community can help people that practice Christian faith be better citizens of the planet, and some become leaders.  Community is not easy.

Intentional Christian Community requires attention to the essentials that create unity amidst diverse people.

Intentional Christian community is a willingness to name, and let go of, the non-essentials to unity and bless each person’s search for liberty and happiness.

Intentional Christian community is an attitude of benevolent good will or love of humanity, “charity”, as if you are meeting Jesus or the Imago Dei, the image of God, in other persons that makes Christian community possible and counter-cultural.  That seems harder than ever these days.

Do you have a smart phone?  I don’t know how your security is set up, but my device asks me each time an app wants to gain access to my camera, mic, contacts, or location.  I have to touch “yes” on the screen to give an app, or something in the operating system, to give it “access” to the eyes and ears of my device.  I have to touch yes to allow connections to me, and those that have trusted me with a connection to them in my address book.  As each person travels our walkabout of life, we are connected to different communities that want access to our identities, our friends, and our locations.  One of the things a well fed spirit does is calibrate our sense of right and wrong, and helps us say, “no” or “yes,” to the connections in our lives.  Sometimes, a well fed spirit is that little voice of your moral compass as you navigate the degrees of grey areas living in the 21st century; and rationalizing the choices that are a part of each day.  My parents called a well fed spirit, “Use the brain that God gave you.  Think before you act or speak.”

Psychology calls this cognitive dissonance: it occurs when your ideas, beliefs, or behaviors contradict each other.  Most people don’t come to church looking for cognitive dissonance, but rather a way to escape it.  We forget that much of Jesus’ ministry comforted the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  Said another way, Jesus would help you with the work of creating blessing baskets for your neighbors in El Reno.  But, he would work harder to change the systems in El Reno that create the need for blessing baskets in the first place.

And, a quick side note, search the origin of that phrase, “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”  You will learn about Mr. Dooley, an Irish Immigrant character created by Finley Peter Dunn in 1893.  Mr. Dooley’s satirical sayings about the political and social issues of his day were a weekly feature in the Chicago Evening Post.

Never have I ever heard of a church that adopted as it mission statement, “Following Jesus example, we comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”  Would you walk into a church that had that on its’ sign?   There are a lot of kinds of Christianity out there that make a good living throwing the word sin and sinner around, but I don’t think that is afflicting the comfortable.  When you take a broad look through the eyes of the gospel writers at who Jesus was and what Jesus did, this pesky peasant’s ministry was based in parables both in word and deed.  And intentional Christian community is a good place to work on the dissonance and the discomfort that comes with being a follower of Jesus.  This is why I think church camp, mission trips, and educational trips are vital to the way the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) explores Christian faith, practices Christian faith, and proclaims the good news of God.

Contrary to the Holiday Inn Express commercials, you don’t just become good at a thing or knowledgeable overnight.  A person may have natural talent or abilities for music, art, sports, math, writing, or cooking, but that talent and abilities have to be nurtured, challenged, and continually practiced to get better.  There has to be a commitment to do the hard work that creates trust, confidence, and competence.  Somehow, we get this with almost everything else except practicing Christianity.  Confession of faith and baptism are the beginning of the journey, not a destination.  They might be consider the prerequisites for the course, “Loving and Serving Like Jesus.”  And that leads to a question for another day:  “What makes one a competent Christian?”

The gospels tell us that Jesus went away, most often to the desert, which makes sense because there is a lot of desert in that part of the world.  He went away to pray, to reset, to listen for the voice of God.  And, as Jesus’ story unfolds, he takes the disciples with him away – away from their comfort zones, away from the business of everyday life, away from places, faces, priorities, and distractions that can keep one from listening, learning, and practicing being a child of God.

And this is the “why” offered through our summer camp program, retreats, International Affairs Seminar, Mission Trips, and now Intersections.   We are not in the business of manipulating children, youth, and adults, but we are invitational communities that understand that by blending play, prayer, worship, study, and service into a weekend retreat or week long experience we are teaching the language of faith and the practice of Christianity for the Church today and tomorrow. 

There is nothing magical, but there is space for the mystical, for the presence of God to become real.

There is time to talk about the difficulties of being a follower of Jesus in a consumption driven culture.

There is time to ask about belief and disbelief.

These experiences are a kind of sabbath.  Time away to listen, learn, serve, and practice.  We help children, youth, and adults learn the difference between intercessory prayer, public prayers on behalf of a group, and praying for oneself.  We teach that words matter.  We help children, youth, and adults take the bible seriously, but not literally.  We create a kind of community that enables a person to tap “Yes” to a connection understanding that it means “No” to another.  It is not easy and you have to want it.

Traveling with people, whether you know them or not, you learn the nuance of the story behind the image of your traveling companions and yourself.   Each participant brings a piece of the event puzzle with him or her.  Away from your comfort zone, away from routines, and sharing space with people who are not just like you, but share a common expression of faith, you can choose to embrace the invitation to be vulnerable about questions, about faith, and open to new learnings.  Even learning that stirs me from my comfortable faith.

When I served in congregations as a youth minister, the first meeting of the fall would be a big family fun gathering.  The youth sponsors would hand out calendars, get release forms for the year signed and notarized, organize dinners for the youth groups, play and worship.   And somewhere near the end I would offer a version of these words.  “You know, this being Christian stuff is not easy.  It is hard more often than easy.  When you get home tonight and are looking at schedules.  Remember, Sunday school is the active study we do each week, and youth group is putting into practice what we studied.  It is hard to do both, study and practice, well, in an hour on Sunday morning or 90 minutes of youth group.  That’s why it is important for you to be regulars, and for you parents to be regulars in your class or group, and not drop-ins.  This being a Christian stuff is hard to do alone, and we need one another to be better followers of Jesus.”

You are doing a good job with this First Christian.  You study together, pray together, and serve together.  All of this, and so much more feeds your spirit.  And what does that do?  What does a well fed spirit do?

I think a well fed spirit gifts a person the vision to see rainbows, and create opportunities for others to have their own rainbow vision.

, 10/18/2018. Category: Michael D, Theological Rant.

Internal Voice

A lightly edited version of my sermon at First Christian Church in Pond Creek last Sunday.

 

Internal Voice
Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’

She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer. ’Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’

The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

 

Last Wednesday I told your minister and a few friends via Facebook that before I agree to guest preach again I’m going to look closer at the Lectionary texts for a given Sunday.  This week is the prophet Amos’ plumb line and the beheading of John the Baptist in the Gospel of Mark.  What was I thinking?  And a side note.  You don’t need to watch Game of Thrones, Survivor, 24, The Sopranos, Days of Our Lives, The Voice, Westworld, House of Cards, Breaking Bad, or whatever your favorite drama of the day is.  Pick up your bible, particularly one that is not a paraphrase, and start reading from the beginning.  Try not to read it like an authoritative book or holy scripture, or like you know the end of the story. Read it as a novel.  You are going to meet some real characters.  You are going to meet some archetypes of humanity.  You may meet yourself.  And when you’ve done that, then go back and revisit it as a guide for living the good news of God.  Buckle up church.  Here we go.

John the Baptizer usually appears at Advent and Epiphany.  We hear early on that John and Jesus are cousins by birth and take a divergent approach in their call to serve the good news of God.

Jesus travels the countryside telling ethical eschatology stories: parables, that confront, confound, and comfort in the here and now.  His stories focus on the lives people lead, their choices, and the systemic consequences of choices; and he does some healing on the side.  The good news of God is that God is always near, encouraging, interacting, loving, forgiving, but not controlling.  God is waiting for us to make better choices.(1)  Waiting, but what then?

John sets up in one place from which he barks an apocalyptic eschatology, a picture of life and culture that is so corrupt and problematic that only a divine radical action can fix it – save it – make it right again.  We are sinners in the hands of an angry God.  Think Noah’s story.  People are so involved in the matrix of corruption they can no longer distinguish between what’s real or not real; what is right and wrong.  Repent. Get baptized and wake up.  Change yourself, do your best, but really only God can change the whole thing; God will change the whole thing.  Faithful, repentant humans are waiting on God.  But, what then?

John is by far the most interesting show in the desert.  He fires people up using that old time religion, a call to repentance, calls for justice, and John openly challenges the power structures, political and religious, that are holding civil society together in the delicate balance of occupation.  John is a critic.  He is an internet troll that you cannot block from your social media.  Israel is occupied, the people are treated unjustly, the Apostle Paul is roaming the Gentile lands preaching Christ Jesus, and at the time that Mark’s gospel is written Rome has destroyed the temple.  Actual occupation not perceived occupation nor metaphorical occupation.  For more on the time, search for the writings of Josephus, a first century jewish historian.

It’s odd that the shortest gospel about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth takes up so much space with this story about John’s death.  The story is sandwiched between Jesus sending his disciples out in pairs with only the clothes on their backs to preach repentance and heal.  When they return Jesus wants the whole crew to go on retreat, but a crowd of people recognize them going ashore, so Jesus teaches and with the disciples help, uninspired in their work, feeds the crowd of 5000 men.  There were no doubt many women and children too.

And that is where we meet up with John and Jesus today.  Herod hears of Jesus of Nazareth, his deeds, teachings, and he has disciples too.  That sounds like John the Baptizer.  Some were saying that John has been resurrected in Jesus.  But wait, John is dead?  How?  When?

And so, we have a classic flashback moment when the camera zooms into a character’s eyes looking pensive into the distance or you get the classic wavy lines indicating the passage for time.  Herod has jailed John who is a bothersome voice outside of town, but Herod is also interested in what John has to say.  The text says Herod was ‘perplexed’.  Curious might better capture Herod’s interest in John.  Prophets are almost always fascinating to and feared by authority structure.

Mark creates a narrative, “For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John . . .” 

But, I think we are reading, hearing, is Herod’s internal voice, going over the details again about John’s death.  You know that dialogue you have with yourself.  It is that reflective:

I should have . . .

I could have . . . 

Why didn’t I . . .

It’s that replay of the details over and over wondering if it could have been different.   It happens after conversations and choices that lead to actions that become regretful, guilt riddled, painful.  Sometimes there is no way to make amends or make it right.  It is even hard to admit to ourselves we made a wrong choice or own our mistake.  It seems like we’ve become a “beg forgiveness rather than ask permission” culture during my lifetime.   Sometimes you get removed from a situation or conversation and think, “If I had only said that, then . . .”  A great comeback to a question or remark, but it’s too late.   At the climax of conflict between two or more characters in film, usually one speaks for the internal voice, “It didn’t have to be this way.” or “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

John the baptizer is beheaded.  Herod hears John’s echo in Jesus of Nazareth; and Jesus has disciples.  Hmm.  What then?

I don’t know if you know it, but this is a fruitful and fraught-filled time to be a mainline Christian minister or priest, and specifically, one that preaches as part of ministry each week.  By mainline, I mean those ministers that are part of what I think of as historically centrists denominations: Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, yes some Catholics, yes some Baptists, United Church of Christ, and yes, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  Alongside other faith traditions and persons of no faith at all, mainline Christendom since World War II learned from the internal conversations of history that caused more death in God’s name than blessed the living with bread and fish.  For a bit of time, that centrist theology helped create a kind of manageable peace.

Many, mainline clergy, look out at congregations deeply divided by political and cultural change.  Each faction has its own media and facts, just as the marketers and culture war profiteers desire. Politicians have served up those to blame for our forced choices, our willful choices, uneducated choices, and the change that cannot be controlled, just managed.

Managed uncontrollable change.  Ten years ago my mother-in-law was asked by a TV news reporter about the demolition of an iconic bridge and the new bridge connecting her town to another.  My mother-in-law said, “Well, its sad, but that’s progress.”

Many mainline clergy, including Disciples of Christ, are delicately, subtly saying, “It didn’t have to be this way.  It doesn’t have to be this way.”  Some do so out of love for the people in their care.  Some, have families to tend and it is just easier to swallow the guilt of not speaking out than risk metaphorical beheading – being fired.  Clergy hear, “Just preach the gospel.  Don’t be political.”  What then do we do with the stories about John the Baptizer and the parables of Jesus of Nazareth.  Are we to only embrace the apocalyptic eschatology?  Those who are baptized are called to a different way of living.  What about the ethical?

Writing about the Mister Rogers documentary, David Brooks of the New York Times notes:

His (Mister Rogers) show was an expression of the mainline Protestantism that was once the dominating morality in American life . . . Rogers was singing from a song sheet now lost, a song sheet that once joined conservative evangelicals and secular progressives. The song sheet may be stacked somewhere in a drawer in the national attic, ready for reuse once again.(2)

The founders of our little frontier movement rebelled against the creeds and those who used Christian creedal identity to exclude persons from table fellowship and normalize the tribalism of their day.  It is not surprising that generations of Disciples embraced the motto, “In essentials unity.  In non-essentials liberty.  In all things charity.”  But, over the past 20 years, that too has become a song sheet stacked away somewhere that may get reused someday.  And, like everything else in culture right now, it seems no one can agree on what essential means. 

Intentional Christian community.  You have to want it.  But, what then?

Maybe the best way to approach texts like this is to ask questions:

  • Where are the echos of John in our world? 
  • Where are the echos of Herod? 
  • Where are the echos of those whose only worth is entertaining us? 
  • Where are the echos of those who will do anything to enrich themselves no matter who may be harmed? 
  • How is Jesus echoed in this congregation’s practice of the good news of God?

John the Baptizer and Jesus of Nazareth call us to remember and act upon, “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

You can love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  That’s the ethical good news of God that Jesus proclaimed while John waited for God’s reconciling action.

Which one will disciples choose today?

 

________

Notes

  1. This line of thought about Jesus attributed to Dr. John Dominic Crossing, “From Jesus to Christ”. Frontline, April 1998.

  2. David Brooks, Fred Rogers and the Loveliness of the Little Good. New York Times, July 5, 2018.

, 07/17/2018. Category: Michael D, Preaching Notes.
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