"Contemporary" Church Styles

I'm a huge fan of church services that present ways in which I can worship God in a more genuinely "Courtney" way. Granted, this changes from time to time (sometimes it's really "high church style", sometimes it's just music accompanied by guitar and a Scripture reading). While reading this blog, "Doing church differently", I started thinking about whether the lines between "Traditional" and "Contemporary" really even exist (or, what they really mean). I think the post brings up some good points about how even though we may seek out ways to "do church" differently, it's really the same. Could this idea change how our culture "church shops" when we're trying to find a new community to worship with?

It made me think about how church is "different" here in Palestine and the State of Israel. In one of my first weeks here there was a visiting church that was partnering up with another local church and during the service the visiting congregation (from a Western context) offered up some different styles of worship: there was a a young adult who did a breakdance routine to a song, and then a classical guitarist who played a beautiful traditional hymn accompanied by an interpretive dance mime. As you can guess based on how people would have felt in the States, there was a mixed reaction. It seemed so "different" at the time, but was it? I still haven't fully processed that whole event, but I think it becomes interesting to think about when you frame it with two questions the above mentioned post asks: "Are the symbols and mediums we use deep in meaning? Do they reflect a fullness that exemplifies the fullness of God?"


Here are a few snippets from the blog post, but I encourage you to read it in its entirety:

....

And churches have always sought people “where they are.” I’ll admit I’m guilty of using that line, mostly because I think it’s true.

I don’t think it’s different, though. And it certainly isn’t hip.

It’s just that, well, can you actually be anywhere where you aren’t? Do you really know of a church that thinks you have to change to walk in the door? If you do, I wouldn’t argue that they’re doing church “the same old way.” If you have to change to walk in the door, they’re just doing church badly.

And if you think that just because you don’t wear robes you’re “doing church differently,” I’d ask you to read a Christian liturgy book. Robes, the clothes of a servant, were meant to give a “replaceable” quality to the leader of worship — much, I think, like the T-shirt and jeans of many of today’s preachers who think they’re doing something different. The “See, I’m no different than you” of the T-shirt and jeans is not a far cry from the, “See, you too can do this. I’m totally replaceable” of the robe.

Along those same lines, the mass-media approach of projectors, screens, TVs, and made-for-worship movies are no different than candles and incense. Engaged senses? Yes. Ordinary objects? I bet you’d find candles in the ancient home just as often as you’d find a TV/computer in the homes of today.

The rock-arena stage setting of many “doing church differently” churches reflects a contemporary concert experience. J.S. Bach and Barenaked Ladies, a contemporary rock group, are not so far apart.

So, my question is this: Why do you feel the need to say that you “do church differently”?

...

Do you try to connect people to God? Do you try to tell the story of a world in desperate need of 

Divine intervention in the person of Jesus? Do you try to help people see how God is active in the world?

If you do, then you don’t do church differently; you do it in the way it has always been done. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m a reluctant Christian at times because, well, church branding has become a business taking its cues from contemporary advertising. In the need to feel relevant, so many places just end up fading into the same mélange of commercials bombarding people daily.

...

What are your thoughts?! Share in the comments section!

Is the Mainline really flatlining?

I've grown up in ELCA congregations and have had the privilege to serve in a handful, as well as attend, with some regularity, some non-mainline churches. I'll be the first to admit that I've enjoyed and felt able to worship God in both kinds, but that experiencing two typically different worship styles has left me wanting a mix of both that I haven't quite found yet. Although I am supportive of a lot of what the mainline churches have to offer, I think there are certainly valid critiques. But, for me, I don't want to throw this baby out with the bathwater.


Rachel Held Evans has been talking on her blog about her experience, attraction, and disillusionment, with the church. I can understand where she's coming from when she points out that "going from evangelicalism to the mainline can feel a bit like jumping from one extreme to the other". Personally, I think that's problematic in many ways. While her post, "Mainline and Me", greatly generalizes (and I'm sure my mainline Protestant colleagues and friends can think of many examples where her statements don't ring true), I think there are points she makes that ring true to many.


What I really want to bring your attention to is this response by Presbyterian pastor, Aric Clark. In his post, he owns up to some of the shortcomings of mainline churches, but also explains how not all of the stereotypes are fair and where they might be coming from. Here is a small excerpt [Rachel's initial statements are in bold, with Aric's responses following]:



"I miss the emphasis on cultivating a personal spirituality." 


It is true that there is not as much emphasis on personal piety in the mainline. Our preaching, our theology, and our worship are all oriented around systemic and communal spirituality. If you hear someone talking about sin they are more likely talking about big problems like environmental degradation, economic justice, and war, than about issues of personal morality like adultery or gluttony. Our bias just runs that way.


...


Indeed there has been a significant rise in personal spirituality in the mainline in recent years. Most study groups I encounter would rather be reading Thomas Merton or Henri Nouwen than Dominic Crossan. They’d rather pick up Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World than N.T. Wright’s Scripture and the Authority of God.



"I miss the familiarity with scripture and the intensive Bible studies."


Biblical literacy is a big problem in most mainline churches. There is nothing to be said to that, but “Amen.” We need to do a better job of teaching our people the Bible.


At the same time, the mainline is the beating heart of Higher Criticism. Without scholars from the mainline willing to challenge the idea that the Torah was written by Moses, the creation accounts, the Flood, and the Exodus may not have been historical events etc... modern Biblical scholarship as we know it wouldn’t exist. All of the modern translations, commentaries, and interpretations owe a huge debt of gratitude to the spirit of rigorous intellectual honesty that the mainline is primarily responsible for cultivating.


In my congregation we employ Historical Critical Method in our Bible studies. Our people wrestle with the origins, the politics, and the historicity of every text. They are free to express their doubts and their confusion. In three years we have studied the entire Old Testament book by book and the Gospels and will begin studying the Letters of Paul next. They may not be able to quote chapter and verse, but there is no doubt in my mind that they are wrestling with the Bible in an intense way.




"I miss that evangelical fire-in-the-belly that makes people talk about their faith with passion and conviction."


...You won’t find many praise hands, and there will be even fewer shouts of “Amen” or “Preach” from the gallery. Many mainliners choose not to speak of their faith very often in public. These stylistic, but not in my opinion substantive, differences give rise to the charge that we are lukewarm.


I think it is misplaced.


Over 60 years ago when it was still extraordinary for women to work out of the home in this country the mainline was making the theological case for women in ordained ministry against the overwhelming opposition of most Christians throughout history. We have steadfastly maintained that witness and grown better at promoting female leadership in the face of constant criticism and great cost to our congregations and to some individuals. That is not the behavior of people who are dispassionate or wishy-washy.


Moreover, this isn’t unusual for the mainline. We have been deeply involved in movements for abolition, suffrage, civil rights, economic and environmental justice, and now we are at the forefront of the movement in the church for LGBTQ inclusion. Every one of these stands was costly and unpopular. It takes conviction and courage to speak against the culture. It requires a fire in the belly to speak against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have often called us heretics and apostates.

Occasional Smidgens

I am self-admittedly addicted to reading blogs; in the past week alone, I've added four to my blog feed. Many of the articles I've been reading have been very encouraging or thought-provoking, and worthy of passing along. Instead of continuing to send my friends multiple messages on Facebook with links for the most recent blog I've read, I've decided to start posting them here. Thus begins "Occasional Smidgens" where I will give you some blogs that you may or may not find interesting and may or may not agree with. I don't agree with everything each one says (and some I agree with whole heartedly), but they got me thinking and that's the most important part.

"The White Savior Industrial Complex", by Teju Cole

How, for example, could a well-meaning American "help" a place like Uganda today? It begins, I believe, with some humility with regards to the people in those places. It begins with some respect for the agency of the people of Uganda in their own lives. A great deal of work had been done, and continues to be done, by Ugandans to improve their own country, and ignorant comments (I've seen many) about how "we have to save them because they can't save themselves" can't change that fact.

"Not a Click Away: Joseph Kony in the Real World", by Dinaw Mengestu.

The doctrine of simplicity is always at war with reality. Our best, most human instincts of compassion and generosity, if they are to be meaningful, can’t come from a marketing campaign as simple, as base, as an advertisement for a soft drink that promises you the world for a single sip. If we care, then we should care enough to say that we need to know more, that we don’t have an easy answer, but that we’re going to stay and work until we find one. You can’t put that on a t-shirt or a poster. You can’t tweet that, but you can live by it. 

"Speak Like You Mean It", by Maria Baer

We should be OK enough with our decisions to own them up front—and if we’re not, maybe we’re making the wrong ones. ...God gave us enough words to say what we really mean, and He gives us plenty of advice to watch it. If you feel like making a generalization, say “It feels like this is true” and then explore it. But remember to say what you mean, don’t say what you don’t mean, and don’t believe something will have to be true once you say it.

"Three Perfect Days?", by Kristin Largen 

[This comes from a blog written by one of my Seminary professors who is currently on sabbatical. She has been writing about the many places she has been visiting (including Israel and Palestine). Aside from the pictures and learning a lot about the people she meets and each of the places she visits, I find this post articulating some of the thoughts swirling around in my head. When we were able to meet back in January we discussed how one goes about travelling with integrity, really seeing a place in its complexity, and attempting to hear many narratives rather than just the dominant one. This particular blog post reflects on Dr. Largen's time in India]

I think what bothers me so much about this description of Delhi in particular—and, by extension, India in general—is the way in which it makes the impoverished people of the country invisible, denying their very existence and ignoring the brutal conditions that characterize their daily lives.  The idea that you could simply fly into Delhi, enjoy the best that the city has to offer, and fly out again without ever confronting its poverty is more than dishonest, it’s sinful:  the self incurvatus in se--curved inward upon its own comfort and luxury, not caring to see the suffering of one’s neighbor.  Oh, I know—certainly I am guilty of this very thing:  as a Lutheran I am all too away that this self-absorption characterizes all of us, all human existence—original sin reminds us daily of that.  Nonetheless, that may be an explanation, but it is not an excuse: near or far, for a Christian, this is an untenable way to go through the world.... So, I am still struggling; struggling to reconcile India’s beauty and ugliness, its wealth and poverty, its joys and miseries—wanting to honor both, without minimalizing either.  It’s hard.

"A Prayer for Peace on the Occasion of the April 11, 2012 Quartet Meeting"

When your people quarrel and cannot find a way, you become the way.
     God, have mercy on us, your quarrelsome people.

When we fear that all we can do can never be enough, you become enough for us.
     Jesus, give your hope to us, your struggling people.

When we don’t do all that we could do, you call us to move forward.
     God, have mercy on us, your timid people.

When we dare to try once again to be the peacemakers you call us to be, you move among us.
     Jesus, give your strength to us, your tenacious people.



For people in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank who suffer the shock of past violence and fear future violence,
     Give safety and comfort to your hurting people.

For people who work for peace yet see the increase of sorrow and despair,
     Sustain their perseverance and vision.

For people who generate violence and injury,
     Show them the better way of Your justice, mercy and faithfulness.

For people who sit at tables and talk of things with which others must live,
     Fill their hearts with love of neighbor and compassion for strangers.



We pray for national and international leaders meeting this day in Washington, D.C.:
     Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
     Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State,
     General Ban Ki-moon, General-Secretary of the United Nations, and
     Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia.

We pray also for the Israeli and Palestinian national leaders:
     Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, and
     Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.

Generous God, give them persistence, wisdom and vision.
Give them love and compassion for all God's children.



You, oh God, change hearts of stone into flesh,
     beat weapons into plows,
     give hope in the midst of despair.

May the fulfillment of your justice, mercy and faithfulness come.

May your call for peace be ever apparent in our words and actions.

You, oh God, who create Easter people,
Hear our prayers.

Amen.






A prayer provided by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) as we anticipate the late April meeting of the United Nations Security Council, during which the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is likely to be a major focus. You can sign up at CMEP's website to receive news releases regarding the peace processes, both regionally and internationally. 

Christ is Risen!

There is so much hope in the Resurrection. This year, I was most moved not on Friday, when we remember Jesus being crucified, but Holy Saturday: Jesus had been crucified, laid in his tomb, people mourned. Then they went to bed. The next day they woke up to the horrible realization that no, it wasn't a nightmare, it was true. The Messiah had been killed. The Lord of Lords, Almighty God, Prince of Peace...dead. And with him, all their joy, dreams, and hope for the future. Saturday was when they had to relive the horrible events of the day before, remembering how their loved one had been taken from them. Life continued as usual, but not for Jesus followers. There was so much grief, so much pain.

Yet, God was at work. However it happened, Jesus secured everyone eternal life and the promise that no matter what, death does not have the last say. Restoration. A guarantee that joy will come in the morning.

Al-Masih Qam!

Hakkan Qam!

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen indeed!

Alleluia!

I've been celebrating Holy Week in Jerusalem, which has been an amazing experience. I played in an ensemble for services on Maundy Thursday and this morning's sunrise service. I also walked the Via Dolorosa with the Lutheran and Anglican congregations. Enjoy these pictures- I think they do a better job at showing you what this week was like for me than I could in words.

May your Easter be full of blessings and joy in unexpected places, and fill you with the hope we have from the Resurrection and the promise of Restoration for the whole year through.

It was an early morning (we had to be at the First Station of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa) by 6:30, but it was beautiful to walk through the Old City streets when barely anyone was around. Through this particular arched street you can see the golden top to the Dome of the Rock, which lies inside the walls of the Old City.

Bishop Younan (center) of the ELCJHL with the Pastor of St. George's Cathedral (left) and the Anglican Bishop (right). at the eighth (or so) station.

One of the last stations we did (we didn't follow them exactly because we wanted to end at Redeemer Lutheran church). It was so touching to be part of such a large group of witnesses, walking through the streets of Jerusalem, singing hymns, and remembering the Messiah's last days.

The Good Friday walk ended at Redeemer Lutheran church with a service in Arabic and English. The inside of the sanctuary is very simple but absolutely beautiful.

We started off in the dark and the sun rose during Communion.

The sun finally peeks out over the horizon spilling light into the West Bank. (The Son has Risen!)

Ok, so I may have changed the settings on my camera for this one, but I think it adequately illustrates the joy of the Resurrection.

The Easter card I made for the school that gets sent out to all the educators, partners, and sponsors.

Finally, a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that I've always really enjoyed because of the image of hope rising up in the midst of (and despite) pain.

Our Choices Have Consequences

I came across an article that I really want to share with you all, especially with Easter coming up on Sunday which, for many of us, means Easter baskets. I don't know about yours, but mine is usually filled with chocolate (ew, jellybeans? why would you eat those!?).

The Bitter Truth Behind the Chocolate in Your Easter Basket

Some 70 to 75 percent of the world's cocoa beans are grown on small farms in West Africa, including the Ivory Coast, according to the World Cocoa Foundation and the International Cocoa Initiative. The CNN Freedom Project reports that in the Ivory Coast alone, there are an estimated 200,000 children working the fields, many against their will, to satisfy the world's hunger for chocolate.


(There recently was a lot of buzz about the KONY2012 campaign, and how horrible it is that children are used as soldiers in the Lord's Resistance Army. Agreed. But, does anyone else think that, while yes, they are "just" being used to harvest cocoa beans, these children would be equally as enslaved into a harmful system?)

The article then goes into describing how you can buy chocolate that is less likely to have been produced by children who are enslaved, or those who work in deplorable working conditions. My point in sharing this is perhaps to share something specifically about chocolate production and how we can stop being passive in ways that harm others, but more about the larger movement of seeking out ways to consume without harming others.

I've become increasingly more interested in ideas such as Fair Trade over the past few years, and while sometimes I think it gets pigeon-holed, and then sometimes written off, as as super progressive, or liberal-minded, I don't think that's a fair conclusion.  If you have qualms or critiques of the Fair trade movement, that's fair. Let's talk about that. But we can't throw the baby out with the bath water. For me, considering where what we consume comes from (food, clothes, or other items) and what effect it has on not just ourselves, but other people, is a Christ-like way of approaching how we care for our sisters and brothers.


I love me some chocolate. But just because I love it and desire to continuing consuming it doesn't mean that I should ignore how my pleasure could cause pain and injustice to others. I almost see it as someone who likes to shoot guns at moving targets but instead of paying money to go to a range and use those moving people-ly things (can you tell I have little idea what I'm talking about with this analogy), they opt for the cheaper alternative of shooting people. Yes, that's a bit extreme, or is it?

Basically, the choices we make, especially as American who consume (so many) products from all over the world, effect others. Do we want them to be negative effects, or positive ones?

Here are some sites that I have found helpful for purchasing items that pay their creators a fair wage and/or make sure that working conditions are positive. Consider what your paying a few dollars more could do in the long-run. Consider how we are effecting others, whom we have the ability to "not see".

(LWR stands for Lutheran World Relief)

LWR Coffee Project Web Store
I can vouch that people I know who love coffee, love the blends offerred through Equal Exchange. Many of you reading this are Lutheran (or main line Protestant) and you know how much coffee is consumed at fellowship hour right after Sunday's service (or Men's Breakfast, or Women's Bible Study, etc, etc). Consider talking to your pastor and council about how you can make sure that the coffee you drink is having a positive effect on those who brought it to you.


Eco-Palms
I had never even thought about where the palms we get on Palm Sunday come from before I heard about this site. I may be a week late, but you know you have to think about next year, too!


SERRV
All around, SERRV is a pretty cool organization. They offer coffee & tea, chocolate, handcraft accessories, and REALLY AWESOME HOME DECOR! (Frankly, IKEA has nothing on this place.) Again, we know how bad that cheap Easter chocolate is anyway (you know, the stuff you force down just because it's chocolate, you got it as a gift, and you can eat it but you would never actually buy it for yourself?) Instead, buy some really tasty chocolate :) Everyone is happier that way!


Also, here is a list compiled of ethical chocolate companies. I can't confirm they are (since, I don't know much about the people who put the website together, but it seems like it could be legit), but places to start, maybe look into them further from there. Divine Chocolate is on there, so I know that is legit (see chocolate link under SERRV).


So, let me know: what do you think of all this? Do you seek out Fair Trade items? Any recommendations for websites or stores? And, how much bad Easter candy will you get this year? ;)

Adventures in Reading (or, writing silly things)

Just a short story from today: This morning I was helping out the 5th grade class as they picked out their books to read over the upcoming Easter vacation. They scoured the shelves and then came over to me so I could write down what book they were going to take out. I was very impressed with what some of these kids in fifth grade were reading in their second (or third) language! One student took out a youth version of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, but even being aged down for "youth" (what does that even mean?), it was a big read. I asked him if he knew the word "pirates", and just in case, I squinted one eye and say "Argghhhhh". He smiled and said, yes, and then covered one of his eyes like a patch.

Anyway, my favorite moment, was talking to a few of the students who picked out their books early. I really enjoy it when students try to speak English to me, even if it isn't "correct" grammar or very complex sentences. A few students told me certain things they like or don't like (reading, football, pirates). Then, one of the students, who enjoyed helping me take note of what books were being borrowed by spelling students' names, laughed and pointed to the "Book" and "Student Name" columns... He said "Nothing..."  "Courtney"! It was really hilarious, maybe you had to be there. He was speaking English well, and even made a joke. I always think that you if you can tell a funny joke in another language and it actually comes across as  funny, you're doing pretty well. Then he insisted that next to his name I write "is strong" and flexed his arm muscle with the biggest grin I've seen.


Kids are great, aren't they. Sure they can be little whirlwinds of craziness sometimes, but then, aren't we all? And that's not always so bad :)

Lenten Devotionals: Supporting the Spiritual and the Physical [Week 5]

Part of my Lenten discipline this year is going through The Thoughtful Christian (TTC)“Pausing on the Road to Jerusalem” Bible study and, as part of that, sharing my thoughts with you all based on the Scripture for the week and the study itself. A lot of this is just personal reflection, but I hope that maybe you can gain a little insight into your own faith and how these themes and ideas may apply to you, the larger community, the Christian church, and the world today. Click the following to see my reflections from Week 1 (Part 1 and Part 2), Week 2 and Weeks 3 & 4.

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This week's reading: John 12:1-8

Perhaps you see what you are looking for, but I found it really crazy (in a good, albeit bizarre, way) that I just pondered over what we are to do about our devotion to holy places in relation to what we do (or, as I have sometimes seen it, what we don’t do) in devotion to holy people...and then I read this study. Yes, it’s week five and I’m a little behind (which you might have noticed with the bombardment of all my Lenten blog posts; but I really did read most of them on the prescribed week, honest) but I’m glad this timing worked out. My previous post, Fleshing out the Temple, primed me to have questions already swimming around in my brain about the whole issue.

On to the study. Before I start, I want to disclaim that with this post, as with the others, most of the thoughts contained are either directly, or indirectly, from the Thoughtful Christian study which I recommend you look at yourself. I’ve tried to make mention at specific ideas that come from the study, and then note where my own thoughts come in, but I fear I may not have done the best job at it. Any plagiarism that may have arisen is completely unintended; I give credit to the study’s author, Michael A. Lindvall, who really has done an excellent job putting together this six part study. I will be looking to see if he’s done any other studies with The Thoughtful Christian company and I’ll let you know, if you’re interested.

Initial thoughts on the Passage

Basically, my initial thoughts when back to the questions I have pondered before about whether or not there are instances in which we should buy the “expensive perfumes” instead of “giving the money to the poor”. Whether or not Judas is genuine in his care about this issue, he raises a question that I would love answered. Not that throwing money at a problem makes it disappear (holy smokes is that a great topic for another post someday; I say that a lot, don’t I?), but I struggle with the idea of giving more money to our “upkeep” than giving it to those places that need it (and it frustrates me a lot when we argue and get so worked up with each other over the issues of the former, too).

On a completely unrelated note, the story made me wonder about Judas. I’m not saying what Judas did was good, but I often feel he gets a really bad rep. I mean, yes, he betrayed Christ and handed him over to get crucified (or, Satan took over his body; this is all so confusing), but I wonder what he was like before that, in the early days. Of course, the Bible paints him out to be a pretty nasty dude, but then again, you can’t really describe him as a nice guy who just “happened” to kill our Savior, our God. Was he really any worse than the other meanies and sinners in the Gospels? Is he any more to blame for what happened that any of us for our sinfulness?

In trying to grab some answers out of the passage (not that answers always come, but I certainly look for them; don’t we all?), I came to the realization that, even though it may not seem to be the most efficient in my eyes, Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet seems to be an extreme act of faith. She anoints, smears with perfumed oil, the one who is the Anointed One. “Messiah” literally translates as, “anointed one”. In one way, Mary is using all of that perfume to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah.

We Are Kinda Closet-Gnostics

The Thoughtful Christian study begins talking about the early Christian tradition started by the Gnostic community which was refuted by many of our early Church leaders and theologians. Nonetheless, what they had to stay has survived even until today and influences how we view our lives. Based on what TTC study has to say, here is a very simple breakdown of some of what the Gnostics believed and the implications thereof:

-There is a divide between the spiritual and the physical; the spiritual is intrinsically good and the physical is intrinsically bad.

This division leads to some interesting theological conclusions: 

-Since a God that is completely good could not have made something intrinsically bad, some other being, supernatural yet lesser than the Supreme God, must have created the Universe. Physical == bad and God =/= bad; therefore, God cannot make the physical Creation.

-A God that was all good would never come into a physical human body; that’s insulting and against this good God’s nature. Therefore, Jesus was not actually physical, but only appeared to have a physical body.

The Gnostics were SUPER spiritual, but “antimaterial”.

(I find the theological conclusions kind of funny because instead of saying that the physical could be good, the Gnostic tradition would need to bring in the need for a sub-god creator, and explaining away the Incarnation. Then again, I have the benefit of many centuries of theologians preparing these thoughts and context for me.)

The solution is...?

So then, while I don’t believe in theory what the Gnostics said about spiritual=good, physical=bad, sometimes I act like it. The paradox still lingers: How do I incorporate my belief that we should enjoy good food, travel, the five senses, etc. with the belief that others should have those same desires (or, whatever they want that is more needed/desired) met?

Conveniently, Lindquist gives three answers for how we can “deal” with the combination of the material and physical. The first two seem to be nice packages tied up with string but not completely filling. An delicious turkey sans stuffing, if you will.

He says first we can deal with the physical by addressing it in moderation (which, as we can guess, is relative to every person; what is moderate consumption in the top economic tier in the States is different than what is moderate in the lowest economic tier in the States is different than moderate for the middle-class in Afghanistan, etc, etc).

Secondly, we need to remember and acknowledge that the physical won’t fill us completely. There is a part of us that will only be complete when occupied with God. Of course, don’t let the physical become our idol. This is nice, but seems somewhat unhelpful.

The third answer Lindquist offers up is the most helpful place for me in this whole discussion, someplace I may set up a tent and stay for a while: offer up what we have and turn it back towards God. Like Mary, we can use what we have and offer it to God. TTC says, “She uses a material loveliness and sensuous act to give glory to God.”

This answer, while the most satisfying for me, still doesn’t answer it all. Even if we offer it up to God, is that what God wants? Does God want my money to go towards this building I use to worship God in (I pick on the use of buildings, but there are many things this could be) or does God want it to go towards that food pantry?

It reminds me of some recent controversy over a charity organization; there was question into what percentage of their budget went towards staff salary, media and public relations, and what went directly to the people they were trying to help on the ground.

I can imagine church leaders reading this now and hoping their fellow congregants don’t take what I’m saying too strongly and stop giving money to their building funds. I’m not calling for that! I’m just saying we should question how we steward our money, even if it ends up being that we use it in the same way. Obviously, there has to be time and resources put into keeping an organization running if that organization plans to produce anything. It's like pastoral care- as a pastor, you can't always give 100% without taking time to refuel, relax, and fill up your own emotional and physical reserves. It seems a bit similar with money, I suppose: we can't give 100% of it away and then expect it to just keep coming in without any organization behind getting it there.

I’ll end by quoting the study directly, as it explains some ways in which the material can give glory to God:

Do the material things in your life turn you away from the Creator or toward the Creator? Enjoyed in moderation, material things, objects of beauty, art, even the strange fruit of technology--automobiles, computers, toasters, and iPods--can give God glory if you mean that they should. Music, for instance, can glorify the performer, or it can glorify God. Lovely things, objects of art, should not glorify the artist, much less the owner, but should glorify God, the First Artist. Rightly cooked and carefully enjoyed, good food glorifies the God of Earth and Harvest, not the cook. Good architecture glorifies God, the Great Architect. A new organ--all those material pipes and valves and electromagnetic connections--can glorify God, the Music at the Heart of the Universe. Central Park on a glorious day can glorify God. Good design gives God glory. Good coffee glorifies the Creator. Thoughtful office furniture, a whimsical pair of shoes, all rightly fashioned and graciously received, can glorify God. Even sex, faithfully expressed, can glorify the God who seems to have devised it.

What material, physical items or acts do you use to bring glory to God?

Lenten Devotions: Repent, Mercy, and Seeking Each Other Out [Weeks 3 & 4]

Part of my Lenten discipline this year is going through The Thoughtful Christian (TTC)“Pausing on the Road to Jerusalem” Bible study and, as part of that, sharing my thoughts with you all based on the Scripture for the week and the study itself. A lot of this is just personal reflection, but I hope that maybe you can gain a little insight into your own faith and how these themes and ideas may apply to you, the larger community, the Christian church, and the world today. Click the following to see my reflections from Week 1 (Part 1 and Part 2) and Week 2.

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Well, I ended up doing the third and fourth Thoughtful Christian studies around the same time, and prepared to blog about them at the same time, too. Not surprisingly, I confused myself and meshed the ideas together. So the following is actually two studies pushed together. Looking back, they make much more sense to me used right next to each other, but they weren’t intended completely that way. For the sake of space, then, I will give you the links to the two Bible passages (NRSV) and what my Lutheran Study Bible uses for their subtitles:

Luke 13:1-9 (Repent or Perish; The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree)

Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 (The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother)

Luke 13

At first, I didn’t understand how the first part of this part of Luke 13 fit in with the second half of that passage; or, perhaps it’s more honest to say I didn’t like how I initially fit them together. But we can’t just ignore the passages that make us uncomfortable, can we?

The answer is “no, we can’t.” I saw you thinking about it for a second! Yes, it would be nice and make things much less complicated...but being a Christian isn’t always a stroll down easy street.

Verses 1-5 are a bit of a downer, I think. Some people were talking to Jesus about their current events and how some bad things happened to some people and Jesus wakes us up to let us know that those people who suffered...they deserved it no more than we do. Stop trying to justify why bad things happened to these people, trying to figure out “why” they deserved it, and repent.

Bam. Jesus words. They always get me. Mainly because they are so true. Word to the Word’s words (a little John 1/modern slang humor, there).

The Thoughtful Christian Bible study lays it out pretty convictingly: Can any of us deny that, oftentimes, when we hear about someone getting hurt, maybe in an accident, and the first thing we want to know is whose fault it was? Was the driver speeding? Were they drunk? Were they too young/old? My Dad use to always joke when I was a kid that we have to lay blame and then we can move on. We do it, though, because it gives us some sense of comfort that there is a cause-and-effect pattern that we can use to control our lives. If we follow this set of rules, there will be this outcome. If we don’t smoke we shouldn’t get lung cancer; if you do smoke and get lung cancer, then somehow you had it coming.

But that’s where Jesus steps in and says, nope, we’re all in the same boat. Either we all deserve the bad, or no one does. I am not better than you, and we are not worse than anyone else. Life isn’t fair. If it was, we’d all be in the same boat.

Jesus goes from this first idea into the parable of in which a man tells his vineyard’s caretaker that the vine not bearing fruit should be cut down. Yet the caretaker asks for one more year to see if something can be produced. Mercy.

This last part was what really caught my attention in the passage. As much as I, too, look for control from a cause-and-effect style justice, I am so thankful for the concept of mercy. Probably because I realize how much I have benefitted from merciful friends, family, and co-workers. Imagine if we were to start acting merciful in more areas of our lives? Whoa. Is your mind blown at how much more love there could be going around?

Luke 15 Passage

A few quick points from The Thoughtful Christian study that I won’t elaborate on for the sake of not making this post unbearably long (and also my own attention span writing it), but that I think are worth noting.

--The parable draws some attention “to the unwillingness of ostensibly righteous people to welcome those who they believe to have placed themselves outside the reach of God’s grace.

--We can interpret the younger son’s thoughts upon returning to his father as rather self-serving, although his planned words give a tone of “genuine repentance”.

One of the coolest points, I got out of studying this parable, though was that whether or not the younger son was truly sorry or not (and prepare yourself- this is AWESOME) the father doesn’t even get to hear what his son planned to say. As the study says, “The father is not just waiting; he is apparently searching the horizon, and at the first hint of his lost son’s return, he becomes proactive in unbecoming extreme. Judaism, even Pharisaical Judaism, made plenty of room for those who confessed their sins to be forgiven and welcomed home. But the act of running, the embrace before confession is ever offered, the ring, the robe, and the fatted calf seem overly indulgent.”

What!? I will be the first to admit that when someone hurts or wrongs me, I want an apology, in clear action if not in word. I want some type of tangible repentance at that exact moment, as well as in their actions in the future. I have a feeling I’m not alone, too.

How often have we conditioned someone being welcome (back) in our churches or our view of who is included in Christ’s salvation requires their repentance (even if it is something we  view as a sin, but they do not)? I know, I know-- some of you will refer me to passages such as Acts 2:38, in which Peter says “Repent, and be baptized...so that your sins may be forgiven...” And if we look back to earlier in our readings here to Luke 13, Jesus says “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” And yet, while we are initially told we all need to repent, a few chapters later we are shown by Jesus that it’s a little more nuanced than what we may imagine: before the son can repent, his father welcomes him back into the fold and celebrates. Not even that but the father is *searching the horizon* to bring back his son. 

WHOA AGAIN! How often have I searched for the person who has hurt me in order to bring them back into community with me? Answer: not nearly as much as I should have. What if, when that person on the church committee you’re on really ticks you off, you sought them out? Maybe give each other some time to cool down, but then actually talk about it, regardless of whether you will agree afterwards.

This all blows my mind. I love it! Go Jesus! These are the ideas that encourage me and get me pumped about the Body of Christ.

Now, I’m not saying there isn’t a need or call for repentance and the act of formally forgiving someone (in fact, I think, ideally, we should repent a lot more with the accountability of our friends and family, but that’s for another post), but I’m saying it’s bigger than that (isn’t it always? But at the same time, it is all so simple: love). It’s all characterized by love.

The study goes on to say that this idea is quite scandalous, it speaks “of a grace too excessive to make sense, the scandal of a God who is beyond ‘fair’.

My study went on to explain that some of the above, and what our natural/cultural/less-than-divine instincts may be telling us is that, like the Older Brother, who stayed by his father the whole time, we have a “desire that our father should love us because we deserve to be loved, our hope that he would love us because we were loyal and worked hard and did the right thing from the beginning.” Our reaction, however grateful for the grace extended to the Young Son, is that it’s not fair. At some point or another we’ve identified with the Older Brother who has seemingly done everything right, only to see someone who put in less work/screwed up major/has bad intentions/[insert how you’ve been hurt here] get the same love or recognition that you deserve, or sometimes more. And we’re right, “it’s not fair; it’s better than fair.”

It reminds me of hearing someone, somewhere explain that we all call for a “just” God, but what we really want, when it comes to ourselves, is a God of mercy and compassion. I think about this in the context of Palestine. I want justice for the Palestinian people, but I pray that justice is tempered with compassion and mercy.

To end, I’ve included the son “If We Are the Body” by Casting Crowns which I thought of while writing parts of this post, particularly about seeking out each other on the horizon to bring us together as one Body of Christ and how we, like the Older Son, sometimes judge who is “worthy” of this family.

Jesus paid much too high a price

for us to pick and choose who should come.

And we are the Body of Christ.

Lenten Devotions: The Cross [Week 2]

Part of my Lenten discipline this year is going through The Thoughtful Christian (TTC)“Pausing on the Road to Jerusalem” Bible study and, as part of that, sharing my thoughts with you all based on the Scripture for the week and the study itself. A lot of this is just personal reflection, but I hope that maybe you can gain a little insight into your own faith and how these themes and ideas may apply to you, the larger community, the Christian church, and the world today. Click the following to see my reflections from Week 1, Our Temptations: Part 1 and Part 2. I started this post immediately after doing the study, but then forgot about it (oops!). Thus, it is very short. But worry not, I make up for it in the next four studies ;)

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This week’s study is based on the Luke 13:31-35

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ 32He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

Initial Reaction

Upon first reading the passage for this week, I could only say, "whoa"! I'm usually not a fan of taking Scripture out of context and applying it directly to a current situation with very little study, but I immediately thought to my context in Jerusalem and the West Bank/Palestine and, in particular, the recent Christ at the Checkpoint conference held here in Bethlehem. I recently posted on hearing Shane Claiborne speak at the conference. What you may not know, however, is how much flack the conference, its organizers, and speakers got for the event they put on. I recommend reading this very interesting article from Ma'an News, and the 2012 Press Release and conference manifesto. There were charges of speakers being anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli, pro-terrorist, but as someone who both attended and reviewed such claims (in fact, I posted a tweet on Twitter about something Shane Claiborne said received a reply tweet from someone who wanted to claim that Claiborne, a non-violence peace activist, was somehow extremely anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler...which is so far from the truth) I can assure you that the Christ at the Checkpoint conference included various evangelical Christian perspectives (Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christians alike) and had an overarching theme of non-violent resistance (the images of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were brought up many times, for what it's worth). Anyway, my main point is that there was certainly an element of people trying to squash the prophetic voice of the Palestinian Christians, who spoke about both the Occupation as well as problems their own churches face. I couldn't help but think of how attempts were made to kill this prophetic voice and stone those who are sent to it (I talked to a couple from the States who were criticized for making the trip over). I'm not saying there aren't things to be criticized about what some of the speakers said, but I am saying that using the same false accusations that all  Palestinians are a threat to our safety and therefore have nothing to contribute to the conversation about their own fate and how we live together in this world doesn't seem too Christ-like. Just sayin.

Fleshing out the Temple

For the past seven months I've been mulling over the idea of "sacred space" and what value holy sites have for us as Christians, as well as their place in our discipleship. I haven't come up with any clear answer, or even fully summarized my thoughts for my own benefit. Perhaps when I get back home I can give you a better wrapped idea. Until then, I'll keep collecting ingredients to add to the stew.

A cathedral I visited in Belgium, near Ipres.

Enter: the following poem. I stumbled upon this poem written by Jonathan Martin, a Pentecostal preacher from North Carolina. He wrote it in response to visiting some cathedrals in Europe and it looks at the idea of the t/Temples. Not that Pastor Jonathan brings up this idea, but do we sometimes believe (in action, if not in theory) that God inhabits our "holy places" more than our bodies? In my present context, should we care as much about the Divine inhabiting our buildings as we do about our God existing in our bodies?

(Yes, this is particularly relevant for me, living in the "Holy Land", but it is equally important for those of us in the States with our concerns, often legitimate, for our church buildings. How should we care about our bodily temples? Our brick-and-mortar ones? Are they equal? Do we treat some better than others? This hits close to home, I know. But these are things we must talk about, whether or not we come to an agreement on what it all means.)

Enjoy the poem; I hope it gives you as much to think about as it has for me.



It is only good and proper that a deity so great
would demand a temple as great as we can build you.
We are well suited for this,
as our species is quite partial to building buildings.
We build cathedrals of stone and gold,
able to survive the centuries,
even a good sacking from the Vikings now and again.
We build sports arenas with state of the art sound and lightning,
able to change the ambiance at a moment’s notice.
We can do gymnasiums and multi-purpose rooms.
We can do kneeling benches or stadium seating.
Both if you like.


Yet in our buildings you are restless, unsettled, agitated,
Even buildings intended for your rest chafe you like the coarsest of ropes.
Indeed for all splendor, your taste in real estate remain most peculiar.
For where we are partial to buildings, you are partial to bodies.
Where we are partial to houses, you are partial to housing within us.


This is curious, even disturbing.
For while our buildings are hardly indestructible,
compared to our bodies they seem almost impervious.
Bodies of such eclectic sounds and smells and colours,
bodies that are shocking in their simplicity and their sophistication.
Bodies that are fearfully and wonderfully made perhaps,
Yet bodies so fragile and finite.
Bodies that we are so at home in,
Bodies we can’t begin to understand.


These bodies that house and enable
All of this heartbreak
All of this tenderness
All of this temptation
All of this affection
All of this DNA
All of this chemistry
All of this duplicity
All of this blood
All of this bone
All of this marrow
All of this joy
All of this brokenness
All of this wanting, aching, hurting, dying;
All of this hoping, rejoicing, receiving, living.


How could it be that you are so infinitely interested
in all of this breathing and digesting and touching?
That you could be so enamored with these bodies you made,
not merely to call us art, but to make us a shrine?
To take these fragile tents
and make a temple of the Holy Ghost?

Palm Sunday

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

In our Gospel readings that usually fall on Palm Sunday, this verse (or condensed sentiment of verses) refers to Jesus [as far as I know, I'll admit I haven't gone back to the Greek translation on this one yet]. Yet today I experienced this in a broader way: Blessed are those who carry the name of Christ.

I worshipped at the Lutheran Church in Beit Jala today and was thrilled to experience a local Palestinian tradition. Like many of us at home in the States, the children processed in with palms, but these were no dinky leafs. These were palm frond sculptures. 

The children processed in with their palm leaves. If you look carefully the palms are at least two feet tall and hold carnations (and have candy in them as well)!

After church I went to a family's house for lunch. This family has invited me and the other volunteers over for lunch quite a few times and they are such a blessing. They have really become friends, and showed me today how "blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord".

After a full day of visiting with this family, playing games (Dutch Blitz, anyone?), much laughter, and some delicious knafeh (basically melted salty-mozzerella-like cheese covered with what I can best describe as the stuff you put in baklava), I returned home. 

I then heard one of the more beautiful Muslim call to prayers I've heard this year, which is saying a lot since they are often quite wonderful to hear. I'm not entirely sure why this particular prayer was being sung, as it wasn't one of the five usual times to hear the prayer, but it was amazing. Since it wasn't a regular call to prayer time it wasn't competing with the sounds of other minarets. I was so moved by the sound (and knowing that it is a prayer to God gives me chills) I went out to my porch to attempt to capture it. The following video is a short snippet of the prayer, with the bleating interjections of a sheep nearby. [As an aside, I've gotten a kick out of hearing this particular sheep, or goat, the past week or so. There aren't usually sheep nearby my house, so I think this may be an Easter sheep. Or, it could be that it is finally getting warm enough for this sheep to be out wherever it is. I suppose I will find out in a couple weeks...] The low audio quality doesn't do the experience justice, but then again, any recording can't capture the beauty of this prayer; it was quite sublime.

I hope you all had a blessed Palm Sunday (and April Fools Day) and that you experience our Divine Creator in the most unexpected of ways this Holy Week. As for me, I will be doing so through the two-part Jesus Christ Superstar album (which was actually a present from my Confirmation mentor).