Having grandchildren is a delight any way you look at it. Through the eyes of my 5 year old and 3 year old grandsons, I've had a front row seat down memory lane remembering how exciting Halloween is....the dilemma of choosing what to be, the thrill of dressing up in costume and savoring the "haul" of candy. Halloween is a high holy day for little children ranking right up there with Christmas. (I'm pretty sure Christmas is still #1 because Halloween doesn't have presents...)
As my little ones grow, I hope they will also grow into another dimension of the gift of Halloween--the "All Hallows Eve" origin...which said that the evil, negative, fear-inducing forces of this world had to work their fury on October 31--All Hallows Eve--because they knew that once All Saints Day dawned November 1, their power would disappear. Interesting to me that, according to the tradition, even the evil spirits knew that they couldn't compete with the powerful influence of godly Christian people!
It's not just little ones who need to learn the deeper meaning of Halloween. Halloween is the time for us to get perspective (perfect timing to be on Sunday this year!) that fear and evil and negativity don't have power once people focus the gift of eternal life and the communion of the saints. Halloween becomes the church's way of looking at fear and evil and saying, "Go ahead! Give it your best shot! No way you can compete with God's power! Even the worst you can do on earth (death) will be conquered by the Lord of life!"
How I wish we could reclaim that credo. Our world is full of fear. But the power of God at work in human life for good has not been vanquished. How did we -- people of professed faith--become such cowards? Such insecure, vulnerable people?
Don't let All Saints Day get lost!! All Saints is Easter celebrated in a different way --personalized with the names of our loved ones--a reminder of the victory of Christ that nothing in this world can take away. Those who are grounded in Christ need not fear through any storm (freshly personal after last Tuesday's tornados), any disease, any accident, any setback, any financial uncertainty, any hardship. God's power--and the influence of godly people--puts fear and evil in its place. This Halloween/All Saints is a great invitation to lift our eyes beyond the fear that surrounds us to the God who saves us. Happy Halloween! Happy All Saints indeed!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Lost in the uproar: Discretion. Responsibility
First of all, let's be clear: this is my opinion. It is only my opinion. As the blog disclaimer clearly states, my words do not represent any official opinion of the Western North Carolina Conference. My opinion. That's what the blog-form conveys. Having said that, here's my opinion:
We have lost our minds in this country.
My observation is that we as a culture are going through a very immature phase. I pray that it is a phase. The phase is characterized by an independent streak that declares itself consistently like this: "This is a free country. I can do whatever I please." And the corollary of this declaration of freedom is this: "And, if you try to stop me from saying or doing whatever I want, I will attack you for violating my freedom." Whoa. I hear it in the culture and run into it in the church every day. Friends (this is my opinion and only my opinion), we are on the wrong track!
Does anyone believe that "I can do anything I want to" honors the freedom? Or that it builds up our common life? Or that, more pertinent to me and those who would read my opinion, does "I can do whatever I want to!!!" bear any resemblance to Christian faith? Paul had this same fight with the Galatians when they misunderstood freedom in Christ. Just because they were free in Christ did not mean they had license to sin. Freedom does not mean that now I can do whatever I want.
This is a constant uproar in our country. People in public say untrue things, distorted things (especially in election time), extreme things and divisive things--and defend their irresponsibility with an appeal to freedom of speech. It makes me crazy. Just because you live in a country where you have the freedom to say something false doesn't mean it is right for anyone to be misleading or false. Freedom of speech is not a permission slip for dishonesty. Freedom carries responsibility for all citizens. For Christians, doubly so. It is wrong to say "I live in a country which values freedom of speech. That means I can say anything I want to." That's an attitude of irresponsibility.
The way it looks to me is that public figures are actually penalized for discretion. Discretion doesn't make headlines. Discretion doesn't feed sensationalization-hungry media who are looking for the shocking angle to sucker people into the drama. "No boundaries" is the current modus operandi of our culture. It is breaking my heart, it is tearing us up as a people and it is undermining the Christian faith.
I am not an expert on responsibility and discretion for any platform except the church. That's an area that every pastor -- and especially every DS--needs to be an expert in because we have a corollary freedom: the freedom of speech in the pulpit. One of the greatest gifts of the United Methodist Church to its people is the gift of a free pulpit. That is, our congregations do not hire and they do not fire their pastors. We believe that serves our churches well in many ways -- but one of the most important is the freedom of the pastor to preach his/her conscience without fear of being fired. It's hard -- not impossible, but very hard--to speak God's prophetic word if the congregation can get together the next day, fire you and leave you and your family homeless and jobless. United Methodists have a sending ministry and, thereby, our preachers have a free pulpit. We encourage our pastors to study, pray and preach what God lays on their heart. Preaching God's word freely is the gift of the free pulpit and the greatest benefit to any congregation.
But we also insist that the platform of the pulpit is a place of responsibility. And I am now part of the accountability system in place that shows how much the church values responsibility. Just because our preachers are free to preach God's Word does not mean they are free to mis-use the pulpit for personal passions. For example, while I have very passionate political convictions, it is not appropriate for me to use my platform position with people to tell them who to vote for in the election. That would be irresponsible and I have never done it. I can appropriately urge members in the congregation to vote. But I would misuse my freedom and my place of influence as a pastor to tell people who to vote for--or to publicly criticize a church member from the pulpit. That would be wrong -- even if my criticism is fully justified. Freedom is not license to tear people up. Speaking your mind doesn't require that you tell it all. There's a responsibility that goes along with a platform.
And that's what we are missing in this country. People with a platform think that they can say or do anything they want. I strenuously disagree. People with a platform --an entre into people's lives have a responsibility to be honest, balanced and responsible in what they say. I cannot conceive of any thinking Christian disagreeing with that.
And yet, many Christians tune into --and let their thoughts be shaped by--politicians and media who do not live out standards of honesty, discretion or responsibility. In fact, some people deliberately tune into the strident voices. While it may have more entertainment value to listen to people rant and rave than to get a balanced picture, tuning to heated opinions rather than measured assessments has a terrible price for the listener--and we are paying a terrible price in our country and our communities and our churches. The overspill is toxic. The effect on people's well being and relationships is devastating.
I would not tell people, even in my blog, where to get their information. Even though this is my opinion and only my opinion, I still feel a sense of responsibility to an ethical and fair presentation of issues. But I have questions for all freedom-loving, freedom-benefitting Christians:
1. Do you get information about the world from one or from multiple sources?
2. Does your preferred information provider have a reputation for reliable, balanced information or opinions that largely reflect one perspective?
3. Do you believe everything your information provider says or do you check out the facts of something that was reported before you get upset?
4. Does your information provider slant reports in drastic terms, use sensational language? Is there name-calling and criticism of others as part of the coverage?
5. Does listening to your information provider help you love others or be a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ?
Questions 1 - 4 give you important clues to the integrity of whatever you choose to give your attention to. Question 5 is truly the key question for all Christians.
We have lost our minds in this country.
My observation is that we as a culture are going through a very immature phase. I pray that it is a phase. The phase is characterized by an independent streak that declares itself consistently like this: "This is a free country. I can do whatever I please." And the corollary of this declaration of freedom is this: "And, if you try to stop me from saying or doing whatever I want, I will attack you for violating my freedom." Whoa. I hear it in the culture and run into it in the church every day. Friends (this is my opinion and only my opinion), we are on the wrong track!
Does anyone believe that "I can do anything I want to" honors the freedom? Or that it builds up our common life? Or that, more pertinent to me and those who would read my opinion, does "I can do whatever I want to!!!" bear any resemblance to Christian faith? Paul had this same fight with the Galatians when they misunderstood freedom in Christ. Just because they were free in Christ did not mean they had license to sin. Freedom does not mean that now I can do whatever I want.
This is a constant uproar in our country. People in public say untrue things, distorted things (especially in election time), extreme things and divisive things--and defend their irresponsibility with an appeal to freedom of speech. It makes me crazy. Just because you live in a country where you have the freedom to say something false doesn't mean it is right for anyone to be misleading or false. Freedom of speech is not a permission slip for dishonesty. Freedom carries responsibility for all citizens. For Christians, doubly so. It is wrong to say "I live in a country which values freedom of speech. That means I can say anything I want to." That's an attitude of irresponsibility.
The way it looks to me is that public figures are actually penalized for discretion. Discretion doesn't make headlines. Discretion doesn't feed sensationalization-hungry media who are looking for the shocking angle to sucker people into the drama. "No boundaries" is the current modus operandi of our culture. It is breaking my heart, it is tearing us up as a people and it is undermining the Christian faith.
I am not an expert on responsibility and discretion for any platform except the church. That's an area that every pastor -- and especially every DS--needs to be an expert in because we have a corollary freedom: the freedom of speech in the pulpit. One of the greatest gifts of the United Methodist Church to its people is the gift of a free pulpit. That is, our congregations do not hire and they do not fire their pastors. We believe that serves our churches well in many ways -- but one of the most important is the freedom of the pastor to preach his/her conscience without fear of being fired. It's hard -- not impossible, but very hard--to speak God's prophetic word if the congregation can get together the next day, fire you and leave you and your family homeless and jobless. United Methodists have a sending ministry and, thereby, our preachers have a free pulpit. We encourage our pastors to study, pray and preach what God lays on their heart. Preaching God's word freely is the gift of the free pulpit and the greatest benefit to any congregation.
But we also insist that the platform of the pulpit is a place of responsibility. And I am now part of the accountability system in place that shows how much the church values responsibility. Just because our preachers are free to preach God's Word does not mean they are free to mis-use the pulpit for personal passions. For example, while I have very passionate political convictions, it is not appropriate for me to use my platform position with people to tell them who to vote for in the election. That would be irresponsible and I have never done it. I can appropriately urge members in the congregation to vote. But I would misuse my freedom and my place of influence as a pastor to tell people who to vote for--or to publicly criticize a church member from the pulpit. That would be wrong -- even if my criticism is fully justified. Freedom is not license to tear people up. Speaking your mind doesn't require that you tell it all. There's a responsibility that goes along with a platform.
And that's what we are missing in this country. People with a platform think that they can say or do anything they want. I strenuously disagree. People with a platform --an entre into people's lives have a responsibility to be honest, balanced and responsible in what they say. I cannot conceive of any thinking Christian disagreeing with that.
And yet, many Christians tune into --and let their thoughts be shaped by--politicians and media who do not live out standards of honesty, discretion or responsibility. In fact, some people deliberately tune into the strident voices. While it may have more entertainment value to listen to people rant and rave than to get a balanced picture, tuning to heated opinions rather than measured assessments has a terrible price for the listener--and we are paying a terrible price in our country and our communities and our churches. The overspill is toxic. The effect on people's well being and relationships is devastating.
I would not tell people, even in my blog, where to get their information. Even though this is my opinion and only my opinion, I still feel a sense of responsibility to an ethical and fair presentation of issues. But I have questions for all freedom-loving, freedom-benefitting Christians:
1. Do you get information about the world from one or from multiple sources?
2. Does your preferred information provider have a reputation for reliable, balanced information or opinions that largely reflect one perspective?
3. Do you believe everything your information provider says or do you check out the facts of something that was reported before you get upset?
4. Does your information provider slant reports in drastic terms, use sensational language? Is there name-calling and criticism of others as part of the coverage?
5. Does listening to your information provider help you love others or be a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ?
Questions 1 - 4 give you important clues to the integrity of whatever you choose to give your attention to. Question 5 is truly the key question for all Christians.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
No wonder people are unnerved...the markers have changed
Like many other church members, I have gotten used to telling if someone was a Christian by whether or not they are sitting in the pew on Sunday morning. To be honest, I am not sure that has ever been a good marker. Some of the most unchristian verbal exchanges and actions have come from those people who didn't miss a Sunday.
There is a big shock factor for people to hear, read and experience how many young adults have left the church behind. These young adults are, for the most part, spiritual seekers. But they didn't see transformation in the lives of those who raised them in church. That's a simplistic -- but important--part of the analysis. The competition for the time of people is fierce and, in the press of life, people (of all ages -- but especially young adults ) are choosing to spend their time where it makes a difference. And, for too many of them, church is not the place where they see a life-changing difference.
So the challenge for the church (and, in my opinion, the GIFT to the church) is to get up off our blessed assurance and superficial measurements and show the life-changing difference of Christ in our lives. That's a big shift -- but it shouldn't be. This shift to showing personal signs of transformation should be second nature to lives grounded in Christ.
For too long, we have let the definition of Christian to equal showing up for worship at 11:00 on Sunday morning. Those days are over (whether people realize it or not). Our younger generations are handing us an opportunity to show Christ's redemptive grace in our lives by the way we talk (or don't talk) about others, our willingness to forgive, our love of those who do us wrong and Christlike attitudes of welcome to all, healing grace and humility. Young adults are not looking to see who has perfect attendance on Sunday morning. They are looking to see who has changed lives. It's a big shift for those who are used to thinking that they took care of being a Christian by warming the pew Sunday morning at 11:00.
This is, in my opinion, a change in the right direction. Methodists have always believed that what we profess should make a visible difference in our lives. People should be able to identify us as Christians because of our love for each other, our respect for God's creation and our Christlike behavior every day of the week. If we sit in the pew every Sunday and don't have love for others, we have missed the point. And, from where I sit, way too many have been regular church attenders and have entirely missed the main point of the gospel: that we should love others the way Christ has loved us.
Don't misunderstand me. I am a big fan of people attending church. But attendance is not the same as a transformed life. Attendance at inspiring worship with a community of loving people helps us understand and receive the transforming love of Christ. I want our lost generation of young adults back in church. But the bigger picture is for the church to be the place for the redeeming, life-changing experiences for disciples of Jesus Christ. Our young adults won't come back to sit in a pew for boring worship. But I believe they will come back for a church experience that makes a difference for their difficult decisions, their attitudes toward others, the strength to forgive and heartache for life's sorrow.
We have our work cut out for us. But our goal is simply to follow Jesus fully...to get back to our Methodist roots of moving on toward perfection. If we make this change, it will be a blessing for all of us.
There is a big shock factor for people to hear, read and experience how many young adults have left the church behind. These young adults are, for the most part, spiritual seekers. But they didn't see transformation in the lives of those who raised them in church. That's a simplistic -- but important--part of the analysis. The competition for the time of people is fierce and, in the press of life, people (of all ages -- but especially young adults ) are choosing to spend their time where it makes a difference. And, for too many of them, church is not the place where they see a life-changing difference.
So the challenge for the church (and, in my opinion, the GIFT to the church) is to get up off our blessed assurance and superficial measurements and show the life-changing difference of Christ in our lives. That's a big shift -- but it shouldn't be. This shift to showing personal signs of transformation should be second nature to lives grounded in Christ.
For too long, we have let the definition of Christian to equal showing up for worship at 11:00 on Sunday morning. Those days are over (whether people realize it or not). Our younger generations are handing us an opportunity to show Christ's redemptive grace in our lives by the way we talk (or don't talk) about others, our willingness to forgive, our love of those who do us wrong and Christlike attitudes of welcome to all, healing grace and humility. Young adults are not looking to see who has perfect attendance on Sunday morning. They are looking to see who has changed lives. It's a big shift for those who are used to thinking that they took care of being a Christian by warming the pew Sunday morning at 11:00.
This is, in my opinion, a change in the right direction. Methodists have always believed that what we profess should make a visible difference in our lives. People should be able to identify us as Christians because of our love for each other, our respect for God's creation and our Christlike behavior every day of the week. If we sit in the pew every Sunday and don't have love for others, we have missed the point. And, from where I sit, way too many have been regular church attenders and have entirely missed the main point of the gospel: that we should love others the way Christ has loved us.
Don't misunderstand me. I am a big fan of people attending church. But attendance is not the same as a transformed life. Attendance at inspiring worship with a community of loving people helps us understand and receive the transforming love of Christ. I want our lost generation of young adults back in church. But the bigger picture is for the church to be the place for the redeeming, life-changing experiences for disciples of Jesus Christ. Our young adults won't come back to sit in a pew for boring worship. But I believe they will come back for a church experience that makes a difference for their difficult decisions, their attitudes toward others, the strength to forgive and heartache for life's sorrow.
We have our work cut out for us. But our goal is simply to follow Jesus fully...to get back to our Methodist roots of moving on toward perfection. If we make this change, it will be a blessing for all of us.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A small shift -- but a BIG difference
I was excited at the change of questions for churches at Charge Conference. The annual report of the church's activities has, in my opinion, not served churches well. Giving a report of the state of the church has, most of the time, turned into a list of activities. Very often, it is a comprehensive list of ALL the church's activities for the past year--which can be heard with very little insight into the state of the church. And, much more important than the "state of the church" is how people are growing in their relationship to God.
So this year, we are asking a different question...a more important question:
WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN GOD IN THE LIFE OF YOUR CHURCH and
WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS YOUR CHURCH MADE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
I talked about the change with my pastors face-to-face. I sent a letter to every Administrative Council chairs describing the change. I thought that would be a clear introduction to the change of question.
I was wrong.
My Charge Conference experience so far this year has taught me that when people are used to doing things one way, no matter what you have on the paperwork, no matter what you have said to them, they are going to do what they are used to doing. I introduce each Charge Conference with a little explanation of the change of what we are asking from the churches. I explain that the shift is prayerful and deliberate...that this year, we are asking for a TESTIMONY, not a report of activities. People politely sit there and nod affirmingly. And then, when it is time for the report of the church, they do exactly what I have said we are not going to do this year. Amazing.
This week, one church read a list of activities. I thanked them. And then I repeated the question: "What we want to hear in our Charge Conference setting is where you have seen God in the life of your church and what difference has it made in the community. I'll give you a minute to think about it."
I am certain that this church -- and others--were not trying to be uncooperative when they made their list of activities for the Charge Conference report. They were just doing what they were used to doing. I don't want to embarrass any one (or any church) at Charge Conference, but I think it is of prime importance for them to answer the question we are asking: WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN GOD IN THE LIFE OF YOUR CHURCH?
Just because a chicken pie supper is held at the church doesn't mean anyone has seen God at work through that activity. Just because a Sunday School class visits shut-ins once a month doesn't mean that they have seen God in their visits. Just because a church held a community-wide worship service on Good Friday doesn't mean they have seen God in that service. In fact, my experience says that the longer the tradition (of the barbeque, the outreach, the joint workship service--whatever) the less people recognize God at work in the activity. Whether it is fundraisers or projects, a sense of obligation sets in and it seems to be harder for people to see how God has been active in their midst.
Our activities tell about our effort. This year, we are asking people to focus on God and how they have seen God active in their midst. And if that is a huge shift of mindset for people, then I think the church has been failing to ask the right question for a long time. And unintentionally, perhaps, we have let people think that their activities, just because they were church activities, were kingdom-building and faith-enhancing. In our hearts, we all know that is not so. We know plenty of church activities that only bring tiredness and discouragement.
I didn't think the change of question was a major shift. But apparently it is.
That's fine. We're just going to keep at it. Because the church, of all places, should be clear on where and how God is working in life. The Christian, of all persons, should be clear on where we see God at work in our lives. So I'll keep explaining. I'll keep reminding. I'll persist until people answer the question they have been given. Not "What have you done?" but "Where have you seen God at work?"
So this year, we are asking a different question...a more important question:
WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN GOD IN THE LIFE OF YOUR CHURCH and
WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS YOUR CHURCH MADE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
I talked about the change with my pastors face-to-face. I sent a letter to every Administrative Council chairs describing the change. I thought that would be a clear introduction to the change of question.
I was wrong.
My Charge Conference experience so far this year has taught me that when people are used to doing things one way, no matter what you have on the paperwork, no matter what you have said to them, they are going to do what they are used to doing. I introduce each Charge Conference with a little explanation of the change of what we are asking from the churches. I explain that the shift is prayerful and deliberate...that this year, we are asking for a TESTIMONY, not a report of activities. People politely sit there and nod affirmingly. And then, when it is time for the report of the church, they do exactly what I have said we are not going to do this year. Amazing.
This week, one church read a list of activities. I thanked them. And then I repeated the question: "What we want to hear in our Charge Conference setting is where you have seen God in the life of your church and what difference has it made in the community. I'll give you a minute to think about it."
I am certain that this church -- and others--were not trying to be uncooperative when they made their list of activities for the Charge Conference report. They were just doing what they were used to doing. I don't want to embarrass any one (or any church) at Charge Conference, but I think it is of prime importance for them to answer the question we are asking: WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN GOD IN THE LIFE OF YOUR CHURCH?
Just because a chicken pie supper is held at the church doesn't mean anyone has seen God at work through that activity. Just because a Sunday School class visits shut-ins once a month doesn't mean that they have seen God in their visits. Just because a church held a community-wide worship service on Good Friday doesn't mean they have seen God in that service. In fact, my experience says that the longer the tradition (of the barbeque, the outreach, the joint workship service--whatever) the less people recognize God at work in the activity. Whether it is fundraisers or projects, a sense of obligation sets in and it seems to be harder for people to see how God has been active in their midst.
Our activities tell about our effort. This year, we are asking people to focus on God and how they have seen God active in their midst. And if that is a huge shift of mindset for people, then I think the church has been failing to ask the right question for a long time. And unintentionally, perhaps, we have let people think that their activities, just because they were church activities, were kingdom-building and faith-enhancing. In our hearts, we all know that is not so. We know plenty of church activities that only bring tiredness and discouragement.
I didn't think the change of question was a major shift. But apparently it is.
That's fine. We're just going to keep at it. Because the church, of all places, should be clear on where and how God is working in life. The Christian, of all persons, should be clear on where we see God at work in our lives. So I'll keep explaining. I'll keep reminding. I'll persist until people answer the question they have been given. Not "What have you done?" but "Where have you seen God at work?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
