Two weeks ago, 20+ students from our youth group spent two hours and considerable elbow grease dusting the both the new and old sanctuaries of our church.
We went over each surface at least twice. We stuck the corners of our rags into every crack and crevice. We worked hard. At the end of our time together, David (one of our sextons) came and thanked us for our work telling us we had done a great job. Before I could even reply, I heard a chorus of students behind me say, "Thank YOU David for all the hard work that you do so that we can have our programs."
You see, two people are in charge of the cleaning and care of our entire property, with all of its buildings and light bulbs and bathrooms and lawn work and dust and carpets and trash....and on and on and on. Our youth reflected about how many lightbulbs would need to be changed and how many surfaces collect dust each day. They reflected on all the things that need to happen in order for them to have youth group each week, all the trash that is taken out from their snacks, all the waste that is cleaned up behind them -- a lot of work, a lot of behind the scenes, thankless work. Spending two hours hard scrubbing might not be the most enjoyable afternoon, but it enabled our youth to reflect on the many things that are necessary for the church to function as it does, especially a church our size.
Happily Ever After...Ish?
Often, this is where we end out testimony. I am perhaps the most guilty of this: I like to tell you all the successes and the blessings and the joys of youth ministry in our congregation. I like you to know that your youth are learning and making a difference in their community. Even in times that aren't as great, I like to spin it around to sound good or talk about what we've learned or how we are going to do better in the future or frankly, I just leave out some of the mess. Everyone doesn't need to know all the sordid details of youth ministry.
We really liketo tell stories of faith and mission that end with shiny pews and smiling sextons. But discipleship is not a fairy tale that ends with perfection and happily ever after.
On Wednesday of last week, a crew came into the new sanctuary to climb a considerable height to change some of those light bulbs. (As a side note, I should have sat and watched, as the sheer cavernous quality of our sanctuary is mind-blowing to me.) As they worked, a sprinkle of debris turned into a blizzard of dust particles cascading in earnest onto the freshly polished chairs, pews, and and wood surfaces below. Many observers came to me and expressed their dismay about the dust:
Oh no, the work the youth did was completely negated.
Oh dear, the youth will feel so bad.
Even after all that help, now the sextons will still have to do the work of dusting once again.
When I first heard these statements, I confess it was much the same feeling I have each week when I put on my freshly cleaned white Saturday sweatshirt, last week's coffee stain carefully and diligently removed, only to immediately spill my first cup of coffee down my front.
Total frustration. Overwhelming exasperation. Admit it: you know the feeling I'm talking about. When you've just cleaned the kitchen sink and someone puts in a dirty plate caked with dried food. When you've just cleaned the litter box and your cat chooses that moment for his morning constitution. When you've just cleaned and organized your desk and a pile of papers comes into your inbox.
Sometimes it's like the chores of life never end; we just cycle back through them over and over again. Sometimes we put all of our effort into something that goes unrewarded and unnoticed. Sometimes no matter how hard we work, it's like we can't get ahead. Sometimes, if we are really honest with ourselves, we wonder why we even try, if our efforts really made a difference, if there was a point to any of this.
The total monotony of discipleship
The reality is that discipleship can often be like dusting our sanctuary: by the time you finish, the other side has already gotten dusty again. Whether it was workers changing light bulbs or just simply time, the dust returns and must be scrubbed away. We can avoid it, sure, but in a few weeks, as we pull out our hymnals, feeling the grit of their dirtiness and sneezing as the dust assaults our noses, we know it simply can't be avoided any longer.
When I think of the monotony of discipleship, I think about the Israelites in the desert. After weeks of wandering and eating nothing but manna, the Israelites cry out, "If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing but this manna to look at!" (Numbers 11.4-6).
We long for the cucumbers and the fish, the melons and the leeks, the onions and the garlic, the wild, flavorful, vibrant pieces of discipleship. We long to be doing exciting and adventurous things, things that make a big difference, things that make us feel good and like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We signed up for this Christian journey for the excitement of the Promised Land and the hipster Jesus bracelets. We didn't sign up for manna...day in and day out...manna...bland, bland manna.
God responds that humankind does not live on bread alone but on the word of the Lord. We do not do this whole Christianity thing for the glory, and the warm fuzzy feelings and the total ecstasy we feel. We do this whole Christianity thing because we are following God, because we are committed to God's will and God's journey, because we want to give the glory and honor, praise and majesty to God. That means a lot of discipleship is eating boring manna. A lot of discipleship is endless dusting of the sanctuary and shredding documents and sitting in meetings and cleaning up the kitchen after we're done and stuff that's not sexy or glamorous but contributes to the real experience of worshiping Jesus.
Just keep swimming...
So today, I want to encourage us to do a couple of things:
1. Let's celebrate the monotony as well as the excitement. When we tell stories of discipleship, let's tell about dusting as well as about worship at Montreat; let's tell of digging post holes as well as the beach trip; let's tell of service as well as games. Let's not complain that the manna is getting bland and boring; rather let us give thanks that we have manna at all.
2. Let's look not for entertainment but for Jesus, not for fulfillment but for Jesus, not for self-satisfaction but for Jesus. For Jesus.
I receive a friend request from a former student on Facebook. I look at the name and the picture of the nearly unrecognizable young man and remember nearly 10 years ago being on a mission trip with him. I can vividly remember my eyes welling up as he spoke gently to folks with special needs and worked hard to clean up dinner. With eagerness, I accept the request and go to check out his profile. What I find is meme after meme of racist slurs and sexist remarks. What I find is a commitment to atheism and self preservation. What I find is not the kiddo I remember who had so much potential.
*****
I see a student I had as a camper on the news. She's at a demonstration downtown and proudly waving her atheist and anarchist flags. I wish I saw the beautiful, eager, and spiritually hungry girl I saw at camp, but I see an angry, bitter young woman who has walked away from the seeds that were planted.
*****
I'm on a mission trip, and I find out that my seniors, whom I've worked with for five years, are lying to me and keeping their cell phones. Although they are hard workers and have good hearts, they can be found lounging on work sites and leaving others out of their conversations. Five years of work, five years of love and kindness and discipleship, and here they are, disrespecting me and others in the group.
*****
After three years of discipleship and intimate relationship, Jesus kneels at the last supper to wash the feet of his disciples. Jesus washes the feet of men who will run away merely hours from now as he's arrested. Men who will deny him in public. A man who will betray him for 30 pieces of silver. A man who will doubt when he is miraculously resurrected. This is not the Olympic team of disciples; these are not the close followers that perhaps Jesus could have hoped for, perhaps that he deserved.
#DiscipleshipFails and other things I learned last week
Last week, I had the great privilege of attending the annual Disciple Making Conference put on by Presbyterian Mission Agency in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The speaker, Rev. Jeff Eddings, a dear friend and mentor to me, focused our time on the spiritual disciplines and musings of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I have learned a lot from this, and I'm sure that it will bleed into much of what I talk about over the next several weeks, but one of the greatest pieces of insight we discussed was a movement from the phrase "disciple-making" to "disciple-allowing."
Failure:
I'm rather competitive. I don't like to fail. I constantly assess my progress and skills. When I ran the half marathon in Pittsburgh 3 years ago, I was disappointed because I ran it two minutes slower than my goal (never mind that I ran the whole thing and still managed an 10:30 min/mile pace, which was great for me). I'm absolutely inconsolable today as I mourn the Steeler loss to [Bill Belle-cheat and the] New England Patriots [the refs were paid!]. As a child, I would do anything to convince my brother to swim races with me because I knew it was the only sport I could beat him in. I don't like failure and I have a high standard of what it means to succeed.
I think many of us have been conditioned this way. Nearly every week, I am asked by congregation members how many youth are attending youth group each week. When our youth shared life-transforming stories on Youth Sunday, many of us were moved to tears hearing our young people standing up for their faith. That day really felt like a success, and I heard many folks tell me such.
In 10 years of youth ministry, I honestly can't say that I don't have a minor panic every time a kid stops coming to youth group or gets in trouble for something or disappoints me in some way. I ride the high of Youth Sunday with vigor, and I crash along with my youth when I hear about their mistakes and unhealthy decisions. Sometimes ministry feels like one step forward, three steps back.
At the Disciple Allowing Conference, we had a discussion about #discipleshipfails. We talked about how failure is never the last word, but also how success is actually not the last word either. We talked about how we are obsessed [a disordered attachment] with whether or not we consider a ministry a success or failure; we are molded and sculpted by our production and consumerist society.
Is God calling us to constantly produce? To produce perfect, cookie-cutter disciples? To produce seamless mission projects? To produce and produce and produce and for our congregation to consume consume consume?
Scripture: The parable of the sower
I have been reflecting on Matthew 13.1-9 and 18-23. In this parable, Jesus tells of a farmer who sows seeds in a variety of places: along the path, in rocky places, among thorns, and on good soil. Of course, in the less ideal places, the seeds do not take root and they are snatched up or wither and die. In the good soil, the harvest is plentiful.
As I have read this parable over the years, I have focused on the meaning Jesus speaks of in vv. 18-23, I have focused on the seeds and how they grow. Recently, however, I have been reflecting on the farmer. I'm not a farmer, but my great grandparents were. My Pap Pap was very organized when he planted plants. His part of the garden was neatly planted and organized and labeled, But my Nunny (and my Uncle Butchy) would scatter their seeds wherever and hope that some of them would grow. As a result we would have sunflowers on the rocky path and tomatoes growing against the house.
I am struck by the fact that this farmer just tosses seed wherever he goes. Each seed has this unlimited life potential as he tosses it in the fields, but he does not protect or control the seeds: he tosses seeds in places where growth might be stunted or unsure. It's almost as thought he isn't sure where the good soil might be or that he has hope for every kind of soil. Perhaps the job of the one sowing the seed isn't to judge the soil or manipulate the conditions for growth, but rather to simply plant the seeds and pray for their growth.
Indeed, that seems to connect to 1 Corinthians 3. 6-9:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
Perhaps those of us who devote a part of our lives to making youth into disciples [youth advisors, pastors, friends, parents, teachers], perhaps we are trying to control the growth of disciples too much. Perhaps we are trying to take the role of God. Perhaps it is not our job to understand the quality of the soil or the progress of each disciple; perhaps it is our job to indiscriminately spread the seed of the gospel. Perhaps it is simply our job to create a situation where faith might grow, should the seeds decide to accept the nutrients of the soil and to transform into a plant.
Rev. Jeff Eddings described this another way: he said he thinks of our faith much like the story of the three little pigs. For many years, he felt as a pastor it was our responsibility to stand between the houses of the three little pigs and prevent the Big Bad Wolf from blowing them down. Perhaps it was even his job to help the piggies trade straw for brick.
Through his ministry, Jeff has learned that the Big Bad Wolf comes whether he is standing there or not. The piggies's houses blow down, whether they're made of straw or wood, or even brick. His job as pastor isn't to manipulate or prevent the wind or the building of the house. Rather, the job of pastor is to sit with the piggies in the pile of rubble that once was their house (their faith) and to sift through the mess to find what is good, to find the new beams and bricks upon which the new faith might be built. Ultimately, however, the piggies have to build their own houses.
By their own initiative...
A little over a year ago, the Youth Ministry Team prepared 5 goals for youth ministry at Unity Presbyterian Church. In my personal opinion, the best, most comprehensive one is the first one:
To create opportunities for youth to develop personal relationships with God by their own initiative.
So basically, our goal is to spread some seed. No matter how many Montreats I go on, Confirmation classes we teach, youth groups I run, Bible Studies we lead, Sunday School lessons one attends, or mission opportunities we offer, I can't be the Holy Spirit. I can't force a kid to fall in love with Jesus. I'm imagining Bruce Almighty as he stands in the street and stares at Jennifer Aniston yelling, "Love me!!!!"
Love doesn't work like that. Neither does faith. Neither does discipleship. Each person has to develop a personal relationship with God by their own initiative.
This means I'm just a farmer. This means I just toss the seed out there and pray it takes root. This means, I don't judge the soil or pull the weeds or prevent the Big Bad Wolf from coming; it means that I am present, hopeful, and faithful. It means that you, also, as parents, as pastors, as educators, as advisors and mentors, you are just farmers, just folks doing the planting and the watering...y'all can't control the growth. Only God controls the growth of the seeds. This is both extremely frustrating as one who wants to make everything work perfectly, and extremely liberating in knowing that I have limitations. It's ego-deflating and humbling. It reminds me that God is God so that I don't have to be. It reminds me that when discipleship seems to #fail, the weeds and the thorns and the birds do not have the last word. The Holy Spirit continues to work.
****
If Jesus can look Simon Peter in the eye and wash his feet, and serve him as his disciple and friend, knowing that in a matter of hours this man would pretend that he didn't know Jesus, if Jesus can do that, who am I to place discipleship in a box? The rock on whom Jesus built the church chose self-preservation over discipleship in the most critical moment, the moment when Jesus, as a human, needed him the most. The man that Jesus chose to spread his word to the Gentiles was Paul, exactly the man who was trying to kill Jesus' disciples and followers.
I don't get to decide how these discipleship journeys end up. I don't get to evaluate whether we are succeeding or failing in our ministries. I don't get to force kids to love Jesus. I just get to spread the seed and make the opportunity possible. I just get to watch as God's garden grows.
They say it only takes one winter in a new place to change your blood, and I'd have to say I agree. I have never loved the snow or the cold, especially in my adult life when snow and cold means waking up a half hour earlier to clean off my car and struggle to get to work. This weekend's "snow" storm (which was mostly ice in my area) has not exactly been my cup of tea (although it has inspired me drink a lot of tea). Now mind you, I lived through the blizzard of 2010 in Pittsburgh:
{my car}
{a lawn chair}
{our road}
But on Saturday morning, I spent a couple of hours watching the snow fall with my southern kitty, George Hairyson, who had never seen snow. I relished in the warmth of my home and did everything in my power not to leave. On Sunday morning, I woke up late for church and went about my normal routine. At 10:00 I went out to find that unfortunately the snow had not melted off of my car and neither had the ice. I sighed and turned the car defrosters on full blast. I crawled into the trunk to find the flimsy scraper/brush that I have (my nice one was left to my brother in Pittsburgh) and began to work on the rear windshield. After 20 seconds of hard work and not much progress made, I sheepishly looked around the parking lot. Of the 8 people out scraping their cars, I was the only one with a real scraper. All others were glaring at me with contempt or outright envy as they scraped their cars with pancake flippers, sleeves, and scrub brushes. Even with the proper equipment this was going to take a while.
I finally gave up on the back, figuring the defroster could help me if I waited patiently, and walked to the side of the car, only to find I had absentmindedly left the driver-side door open, allowing all this cold air to come in and nullify the effects of my blasting defroster. Cursing myself, I shut the icy door and continued my process. All the while, I could hear my father's voice in my head telling me not to leave any snow on my lights and to be very thorough so the ice and snow didn't fly off my car while going down the road. I confess, at 10:25, I grumpily got into my car, tossing my puny scraper onto the floor and began running the windshield wipers like mad. I pulled out with only two small spots to see out of, and hid under the brim of my winter hat to avoid being associated with this absolutely terribly scraped car. Even though no one would know I'm from the north by my North Carolina license plate, it felt as though the southern sun was glaring at me, exposing my quickly fading northern winter survival skills. I arrived at church much later than I had hoped, completely out of my routine, with cold ears, cold fingers, and cold toes....not to mention a rather grumpy disposition. This week's blast of winter weather altered my routine and knocked me off-kilter. And of course, I moved to the south on purpose: this was not a welcome winter weather system in the White household.
Baptism of the Lord
It just so happens that this Sunday was Baptism of the Lord Sunday. We celebrate Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River, and we remember with joy our own baptisms. But what does that really mean?
Baptism in the PCUSA
Baptism means lots of things in different denominations, and in the Presbyterian Church USA, we believe that baptism is a sacrament in which everyone may participate. The Book of Order (our constitution) states, "Baptism is the sign and seal of incorporation into Christ." In other words, baptism is the physical sign and secure assurance that the individual being baptized is a member of the family of God. That's why we baptize infants - because before we could think for ourselves, God claims us and seals us as belonging to the family of God. The congregation promises to contribute to the upbringing of that child in the family of God. The sense of inclusiveness found in baptism is essential to our Presbyterian beliefs on the matter, and it is what we emphasize as we wipe the cool water across the heads of infants and adults who come to the waters.
There is a less cute and fluffy side to baptism, however. The Book of Order continues, "In Baptism, we participate in Jesus' death and resurrection. In Baptism, we die to what separates us from God and are raised to newness of life in Jesus Christ, who died for us and was raised for us." We participate in death. We die. Not exactly appropriate for Disney's next animated feature.
{p.s. this picture is so creepy and weird...gah...}
In baptism, the parents and the congregation promise to reject a life of sin, a life without Christ, and to be committed anew to a resurrected life following Jesus Christ. God promises to let the life of sin be washed from us in the waters of baptism and cast to the bottom of the sea; God promises to see us as resurrected and new, as recreated in God's Kingdom.
While I love the Presbyterian Church's attention to joy and celebration and commitment to practicality (and I'm grateful I don't have to wade in rivers and dunk people's heads under water), I think the Baptists capture something we don't in their "slam-dunk" approach. I was baptized as an infant, so I don't remember, but I've watched immersion baptism, and I can imagine the discomfort and challenge. The person being baptized comes, probably feeling awkward and exposed before the pastor and the congregation. He/she leans back into the arms of the pastor and trusts that as he/she goes under the water, that they will surface again, trusts that the pastor will not drop him/her in the water, that the submersion is temporary. The one being baptized emerges from the water at a pull from the pastor's hand on their neck, breathing in that first breath as though they were being born again, born anew. I can imagine the cool pressure and slight panic of the water surrounding you and then the sharp relief of that first gasp of air as you come up. There is something totally vulnerable and deeply uncomfortable about immersion baptism, about being dunked in the water, that we don't fully capture in the Presbyterian Church with our sprinkle and smear. It exposes our needs, our fragility, our dependence on God for survival. It is challenging, uncomfortable, and unpleasant.
So back to the ice...
It seems fitting to me that on the weekend of Baptism of the Lord Sunday, we should be washed over by ice and snow. On Friday night, as we ventured out for dinner in the 35 degree weather and rain, my husband declared in a most crotchety voice, "This is absolutely my least favorite weather." I must agree: those cold drops will chill you to the bone and it seems that my toes and my nose will never be warm again. This type of weather is uncomfortable: it disrupts our routine, calls us to change our clothing and our awareness, and forces us to pay attention to the water on the road and the droplets on the trees. The only thing I look forward to when winter weather rolls through the region is the possibility of a snow day or snow delay when I get to stay home and cuddle George Hairyson and knit and make soup.
{I mean, who wouldn't want to cuddle this cutie all day?!?!}
And weirdly this same type of disruptive discomfort found in a storm of frigid precipitation is strangely similar to what we celebrate in Baptism. We celebrate the uncomfortable, vulnerable submersion of our sin-sick selves into God's cleansing and purifying waters; we celebrate our explosion from the waters, our gasping for air, our disorienting first breath. We celebrate the challenging call found in a life of discipleship, a life that asks us not to sit comfortably with George Hairyson all day long; a life that commands us to stand in uncomfortable places as we follow Jesus.
So as we celebrate cold weather and startling baptisms, let us feel the challenge and call of our baptism in our lives. We are called to a life of discipleship that takes us to the frozen windshields of life. Unlike this terrible northern example, we are called to continue the job even when it is difficult, when our hands our frozen and our patience is fried and we are cranky and embarrassed and inconvenienced. There are opportunities every day for us to step out of our comfort zone and into the cold weather of Christian discipleship. How will we respond to that challenge today? This week?
In case for some reason you were living under a rock and haven't looked at your calendar yet, Christmas indeed falls on a Sunday this year (might sound silly, but really, folks, this time of year, it's perfectly normal to forget which day it is....I do it all the time.) In our time now, we don't normally have a Christmas Day worship service, so when Christmas falls on a Sunday, Christmas worship in the morning falls smack dab in the middle of planned events. Unity will be offering one worship service at 10:00 am on Christmas Day and New Years Day. Every house is different on Christmas, but when I was a little girl, 10:00 am was our traditional Christmas brunch time. As a teenager, sometimes we would be unwrapping presents at 10:00, although sometimes we would still be sleeping. And as an adult, 10:00 is when I start preparing food items and either packing for a trip to someone's home or preparing my home for guests. Perhaps you are traveling or perhaps Christmas is the only day you have off. Perhaps you or someone in your home is ill (strep anyone?) and would like to keep your germs at home. Perhaps you come to the 11:00 pm worship on Christmas Eve and can't manage to get back at 10:00 am the next day. As a pastor, let me say that I know worship will be meaningful and fellowship will be friendly on Christmas morning at Unity Presbyterian Church, and if you can come, do come, and be renewed by this rich worship experience. As a fellow human being, let me say that I empathize with the Christmas morning chaos, and I myself will be cleaning my house, rolling fresh gnocchi, and whipping gallons of cream in anticipation of my family coming into town, and I will not be in worship on Sunday.
I often explain that my goal with the youth is not for each teenager to have perfect youth group and Sunday School attendance (although we love to have you as often as you can), but that when they leave the doors of this church, they live as followers of Jesus Christ in all their busy lives filled with rehearsal, matches, meets, tests, jobs, and friendships. Faith is not limited to what is felt within the walls of Unity Presbyterian Church; rather Unity Presbyterian Church ought to inspire faithful lives.
The same is true for Christmas Day: even if you are unable to attend a worship service on Christmas morning, you can still faithfully follow Jesus Christ throughout your day, individually and as a family. For my blog today, here is a list of ideas I have for worshiping God individually and as a family on Christmas Day:
When I was growing up, we saw a lot of Christmases: ones with a ton of gifts, ones with only a few gifts; ones when family all came together, ones when family were far apart, ill, or disgruntled; ones when the food filled you to burst, ones when the ham was dry or the turkey was overcooked. I've known Christmases when the list to Santa Claus was first and foremost in my brain and others when I was more excited to bake Jesus's birthday cake. I've seen my share of white Christmases and icy Christmases and hot Christmases and brown muddy gray Christmases. What I learned every year, however, was that Christmas was a time to be grateful for whatever it was that happened that year. The year that I had the stomach flu, I was grateful for my Wallflowers CD and new CD player that kept me company while I laid in bed. One year, the only gift I received from my parents was a professional wooden clarinet, and I was grateful for the sound it produced and the way it felt and smelled in my hands. On years when the snow drifted up to my knees, I was thankful for snow to play in and safe travels for my relatives. I was always thankful that my Dad was always off of work and home to cook on Christmas Day.
As you go through the day, you might challenge yourself or your family to say a prayer of thanks for each thing they notice to be grateful for this year. Here's a sample prayer:
For these gifts, Lord Jesus, we are thankful.
#9: Birthday Cake for Jesus - not just for kids...
When I was a little girl, my mom and grandmother would help me bake a cake for Jesus after breakfast on Christmas Day. The cake would be our dessert, and we would say a prayer as a family before we ate it. I can remember in my pre-teen years when playing with the newest video game console held more excitement than baking in the kitchen, I wanted to just buy a box cake mix and use plain icing, no words or designs. After all, as I said, I don't think Jesus would mind or care and he's not here to eat it. My mom wouldn't hear of it, saying that we give Jesus our very best because he is the very best.
From that day onward, I would spend hours, some years even weeks, finding a perfect difficult recipe for Jesus' birthday cakes: We had dark chocolate mint brownies once and a lemon pound cake another time; carrot cake and pecan cake and coconut cake...the list continues.As a teenager, it was a challenge for me to find a recipe and bake it on Christmas Day; I wanted to beat my skills from last year.
So perhaps this year, when your family gathers for dessert, you can dub it Jesus' birthday cake, the very best to give for the very best who came, and say a prayer of thanks to Jesus. It may seem a little cheesy, but it forced me and my family to remember why we had gathered in the first place. Here's a prayer for Jesus' birthday celebration:
For the gift of God with us, Emmanuel, God in the flesh, born this day through Jesus the Christ child, we give you our thanks and praise. Amen.
#8: For Over-Achievers and Lovers of Liturgy
I have on many occasions blogged and spoken about my love for tradition and liturgy. Good liturgy and traditional words connect us to the communion of saints, the followers of Jesus in every time and place. When I recite liturgy on Sunday morning, I connect by the power of the Holy Spirit, with my brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues in churches throughout the country and even the world. I connect with my deceased Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Schwartz and spiritual mentors of every age: Karl Barth, St. Augustine, and Joan of Arc. We become one with a great chorus of believers in every time and place who give worship and glory to our God. If you crave this connective experience, here are two Christmas Litany's that come from the Book of Common Worship and have been recited in many times and many ways
Litany A
The Word was made flesh.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
and dwelt among us,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Jesus, Son of the living God, splendor of the Father, Light eternal:
Glory to you, O Lord!
Jesus, King of glory, Sun of righteousness, born of the Virgin Mary:
Jesus, Prince of Peace, Shepherd of souls, perfect in holiness:
Glory to you, O Lord!
Jesus, Friend of all, protector of the poor, Treasure of the faithful:
Glory to you, O Lord!
Jesus, Good Shepherd, inexhaustible Wisdom, our Way, our Truth, and our Life:
Glory to you, O Lord!
Jesus, joy of the angels, and crown of all the saints:
Glory to you, O Lord!
This Litany would be a great one to do with the whole family, having one member read the non-bolded parts and the rest of the family respond with the exclamations in bold.
For a more serious, contemplative approach, try this:
Litany B
All the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God. Alleluia!
Shout to the Lord, all the earth. Alleluia!
O Christ, splendor of God's eternal glory,
the mighty Word, sustaining the universe:
Renew our lives by your presence.
Lord have mercy.
O Christ, born into the world in the fullness of time
for the liberation of all creation:
Release all into your promised freedom.
Lord have mercy.
O Christ, begotten of the Father before all time,
born in a stable at Bethlehem:
May your church be a sign of hope and joy.
Lord have mercy.
O Christ, truly God and truly human,
born to a people in fulfillment of their expectations:
Fulfill our desires in you.
Lord have mercy.
O Christ, born of the Virgin Mary,
child of wonder and splendor,
mighty God of all ages, Prince of Peace:
May the whole world live in peace and justice.
Lord have mercy.
#7: For Children as they open gifts
I can remember being in middle school and right after Christmas morning, I'd get a phone call from my friends and we'd discuss what we received. I can remember kids saying things like "My parents really skipped out this year" or "I didn't really get everything I wanted." An attitude of gratitude is not "cool" or easy to come by in the holiday season, especially when our children grow accustomed to a Christmas morning that looks and feels a lot like a shark feeding frenzy only with children and gifts.
Families have lots of ways of dealing with this, and I applaud each of your efforts to give your children a fun, exciting, and happy Christmas as well as a grateful one. Here are two prayers, one for children and one for parents that might help with the thankfulness factor during the feeding frenzy:
For Children
Lord Jesus, wise men traveled for miles to bring you the first Christmas presents. So may we too remember with thankful hearts the love that comes with each present we open. We also thank you for the amazing love you have for each of us, and we thank you for the many gifts you give to us. Amen.
For Moms and Dads, Grammy's and Grampy's
Let me just for a moment, Lord, hold this time in my heart. It is about mysteries and gratitude, unknowing and wrong sizes, snippets of ribbon and screams of delight. Help me to remember the immense love you have for each of us in this room. With each gift that is opened, no matter how perfect or not, let me feel again the many ways that you gift us each day, especially with your presence in our hearts and the presence of each other in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Perhaps you'd like to really feel like you've gone through a Presbyterian worship service? Here's an example order of worship you can use to worship together as a familiy.
Prayer of Invocation
O Almighty God, who by the birth of your holy child Jesus has given us a great light to dawn upon our darkness: Grant, we pray, that in this light, we may see light. Bestow upon us, we beseech you, that most excellent Christmas gift of charity to all, so that the likeness of your Son may be formed in us, and that we may have the ever brightening hope of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Psalm 97
New Testament Reading
John 1.1-14
Meditation
What words from these scriptures stand out to you today?
Why does the birth of Christ have continued significance today, in 2016?
What is one thing I can do today to show my love for Jesus?
Hymn: O Come All Ye Faithful
Offering
We have received many gifts today. As followers of Jesus, we commend our gifts to God for God's use. Let us reflect on how we might use some of our gifts, both physical and spiritual, to give God glory and honor this day and every day.
Hymn: Joy to the World
Benediction:
So go now, and "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn, make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord." (Psalm 98)
And may the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord's face shine upon you and be gracious to you, may the Lord's countenance lift up toward you and give you peace, now and forever. Amen.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who sort of secretly wishes we could gather around the family piano and look like this so-called perfect family on Christmas morning. Reality is more like this:
And I kind of am grateful for that. Maybe this year, you get out the carol books and give it a 15 minute try. Whether you sound like bleating goats or the von Trapp family, or whether you end with tears of joy or tears of laughter or even tears from argument, Psalm 98 today calls us to make a joyful noise to the Lord, and if we are trying, that's all the counts.
#4: For those of us who ain't so merry
While Christmas is a time for joy, peace, love, and hope, it also represents a time of challenge, mourning, and grief for many of us. Last night marks the longest night, and with today the winter solstice, comes longer days and more sunshine, something for which we all desperately yearn. Perhaps the holidays are markers of those who are no longer with us or family rifts that seem to never be solved. Perhaps we are alone this year or we have to work or worse, we have to work in retail. Perhaps a loved one is sick or in the hospital. When the dark of night seems to overwhelm us, the bright light of Jesus on Christmas morning can feel too bright, too joyful, too cheerful, and we feel guilt and pressure for feeling as glum as we do. Christmas Eve is always bittersweet for me, as the funeral for my Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Schwartz was on Christmas Eve. I miss her every day, and though I know she has joined the Church Triumphant, I would give anything for her advice, her smile, and her warm presence.
Here's a prayer for some sad times:
Mighty God,
You rise with healing in your wings,
to scatter all enemies that assault us.
As we wait in hope for the coming of that day,
when crying and pain shall be no more,
help us by your Holy Spirit
to receive your power into our lives
and to trust in your eternal love,
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
God with us, Emmanuel,
Light of the world, born this very day.
Amen.
#3: Not-so-Childish prayer for the family
I have confidence that teenagers will find all of these prayers incredibly boring and just absolutely childish and totally unnecessary. To parents, I say, this is totally normal and you shouldn't feel sad or guilty or worried. Even the most faithful of kids is learning to be themselves by disagreeing with mom and dad. From time to time, teenagers even agree with what you're saying but will argue with you just to prove that their opinions didn't come from you. Don't worry, don't give up, don't feel alone. This is all extremely normal.
That said, here's a prayer that probably won't be any MORE interesting for your youth, but has words that they might secretly muse over or think about if you put this on their radar. We plant seeds and trust that God's Holy Spirit is watering them over time.
Lord God,
Today, may we not only unwrap presents,
But may we discover more of your love.
Today, may we not only eat of festive food,
but may we feast on your faith.
Today, may we not only cherish happy times with family and friends,
But may we invite you into our lives.
Today, may we not only sing carols that celebrate your birth,
But may we dwell upon the resurrected Christ, alive in this moment.
Living Lord, we long to discover your love, to feast on your truth, to invite you into our lives, and to thank you for your sacrifice. Amidst the family, food, and presents, we long to celebrate Christmas with you.
There's this commercial for Publix that was on last year and I've seen again this year, where the little boy invites his dear elderly neighbor to Christmas dinner, and the mom is just so touched (You can fill in the blank: "Oh my son, what a wonderful boy! What a surprise! I'm beaming with pride!").
Let's be perfectly honest, I blubber like a babbling brook every time I watch this commercial. Let's be even more honest, sometimes I watch it again online so I can blubber even more.
There's an element to this commercial that reminds us of the charity and gift-giving that is associated with Christmas. We know the Salvation Army buckets and Mr. Scrooge buying the prize turkey and even the kind act of leaving a cookie for a tired Mr. Santa Claus as he delivers gifts. I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves for our charity to be magnanimous, for our generosity to be enough to inspire Mrs. Lindsay to cry, for our gift giving to be inspirational, selfless and meaningful. I think we are putting too much pressure on ourselves. Jesus gives the ultimate gift of God in flesh appearing...in the most simple, humble way possible: by being born as a vulnerable, helpless child in a dirty stable in the middle of Nowheresville. All of our small acts of kindness and generosity contribute to the spirit of Christmas. Perhaps as a family, there might be a time to list the acts we've done or that have been done for us. And let's be honest, Mrs. Lindsay will cry at all of them anyway, so goal achieved.
#1: Being Present, being you
Sometimes I can lose myself in Christmas. There are 100 presents to buy, 600 cookies to bake, 5 {feels like million} rooms and toilets to clean, relatives to see, miles to travel, Christmas specials to see, people to greet...the list goes on and on. It's not uncommon to find ourselves at the end of Christmas Day cleaning the dishes and tossing the last of the wrapping paper feeling a bit like we've missed it, sensing that the day spun past us in a whirlwind of chaos.
The easiest thing we can do to prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming of the Christ child on Christmas Day is to commit to ourselves that we will be present, we will be ourselves, and we will treasure the gift of holidays with family and friends. Here's a prayer for you:
Almighty God, you got this.
Teach me not to worry about the small things,
but to seek the things that matter.
Empower me not to dwell on imperfections,
but to linger in memories of joy.
Forgive me of my wayward mind and frantic spirit,
and give me peace and serenity this holiday season.
Focus my soul on your love, your peace,
your hope, and your joy this Christmas and every day.
Amen.
A very Merry Christmas to you and your family, from this crazy Rev. May you know and experience the love and peace of Christ this year and feel connected to the communion of saints who join their voices over every time and place to give glory and honor to Almighty God.
In my first job in youth ministry, I was a Christian Educator, servant of over 400 children, youth, and young adults, from cradle to college graduation. Each Wednesday, I would lead the elementary aged children in lessons of singing, dance, and sign language as a part of an after-school program. I had arranged for the tiniest Kindergarten group to sing and do sign language in worship to the song Glorify Thy Name. They arrived on Sunday morning early to rehearse the song, and I was a proud, dreamy eyed young lady thinking of how adorable these little cherubs would be as they sang in front of the congregation.
It was then that my bubble was burst. As the children moved their hands in prayer, I heard distinctly one little boy in the front row sing,
Surely, it's just one child. Surely, it was just a mistake or a jest. I immediately stopped the choir and said, "Now, let's make sure we are saying THY name."
"Yes, ma'am. My name."
"NO! Thy, your, T-H-Y..."
"Yes, this is a song about how we can do anything if we put our mind to it."
And so it went. And yes, in front of the whole congregation, a group of 20 Kindergarten children sang about glorifying their own names in all the earth.
I felt mortified. Not only had I failed to teach kids the right words, but somehow they had even understood the meaning of the song entirely wrong. I felt as though I had failed, even if it was somewhat humorous.
King Harold and the Wise Men
Recently, I was listening to a group of Middle Schoolers read from the Bible. One boy read out loud about the story of the wise men going to see King Herod...only he read "King Harold." Not just once, but every time his name appeared in the text. I had to hide my face the sleeve of my shirt to stifle a cough/laugh because all I could think of was King Harold from the Shrek movies:
And so of course, I worried whether I should correct him and bring upon him embarrassment from his classmates. What was the importance of him getting King Herod's name right?
What is our job?
I think sometimes as youth leaders, as pastors, as elders and deacons, as Sunday School teachers, we feel a deep longing, or even an agitating anxiety to ensure that our children and youth "get it right." I'll admit: one of my proudest moments as a youth director was when one of my confirmation students told his high school history teacher that he preferred Karl Barth's understanding of predestination to John Calvin's and that the history book they were using was incorrect. We hope that our children memorize the precise order of the books of the Bible and the exact wording of their memory verses. Our eyes fill with tears as we watch children sing and recite songs of praise to God. I am reminded of a great verse:
I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1.4
So...what exactly does that mean? Does that mean that when kids sing about glorifying my name or read about King Harold that we have in some way failed? What does this mean for our teenagers?
If I think that my goal is to have each student make a perfect set of decisions throughout his/her life, I find that to be an overwhelming task. This means that as youth leader, I need to be aware of every scenario that could possibly tempt or challenge our youth, and I need to decide based on scripture what the perfect, right answer is for each student. When kids are 6 years old and the decisions are should I cheat on a test or punch my brother, the answers are simple. When kids are 13 and their decisions include how do I behave with a person I'm in love with and how do I show love to two friends who hate each other or how do I behave on social media, the answers are far less clear. Furthermore, the youth of today face challenges I couldn't have dreamed of. I am only 15 years older than our high school freshmen, but I grew up in a time when families had one computer in the house connected to dial up internet. In fact, I was a freshman when my family finally obtained one. I grew up in a time when cell phones were rare and social media was a foreign concept. While I remember with vivid detail what it felt like to be 15 years old, I never faced decisions about what is appropriate to put on Snap Chat or even texting a crush in the middle of the night (if you wanted to talk to me, you had to call my house and talk to a family member first...).
Not to mention, there were some topics that I faced as I graduated from high school and went to the wide, independent world of college that my youth leaders never prepared me for. They couldn't have known. I felt unprepared to make decisions about how I spent my time on the weekends, how I developed relationships with friends and infatuations, and how I dealt with people with whom I disagreed. And some of the mistakes that I made taught me more about the person I am called to be than the things I did right. I wouldn't trade my errors, even those that caused me pain, because they've formed and shaped me into who I am today.
So...what are we supposed to do?
Being a Jedi Master...but maybe more like Obi Wan than Yoda
So, if you're not a Star Wars geek like me, this might not make sense. But here goes. In Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker goes to Yoda to learn the Jedi ways. Yoda gives Luke challenging instruction, but spends a lot of time sitting on a rock eating snacks while Luke does the dirty work. Yoda has simultaneous high standards and incredible confidence in Luke: he says, you do or do not. There is no "try." Yoda refuses to do the work for Luke and makes him work very hard to become a Jedi himself. Luke has to understand the force for himself, not just as Yoda uses it, or he'll never truly be a Jedi Master.
In the same way, I believe as leaders of our youth and children, we are called to lead our youth to understand the truth of God, but we are not called to do the hard work of following Christ for them. Notably, 3 John does not say, "I have no greater joy than this: to see my children doing exactly what I told them to do." Nor does it say, "I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living perfect lives." Nor does it say, "I have no greater joy than this: to be the Jedi Master who enforces his/her will upon all of my students." No...it says, "to hear that my children are walking in the truth." To hear implies that the writer of this letter doesn't micromanage his disciples, but learns of their accomplishments. To walk implies that the children take initiative to follow Jesus on their own rather than because they are compelled or forced to do so.
Yoda is cranky and cantankerous and he is often frustrated with Luke. In the same way, we sometimes hear "King Harold" and sigh with impatience at the learning of our youth. We do in fact expect great things from our youth, but we must foster a deep amount of patience with them as they figure out the path for themselves.
On a different note, we also know that Yoda refused to lead Anakin Skywalker because he "sensed in him much fear." Yoda gave up on Anakin because he wasn't perfect, because he was full of fear and negative energy. Obi Wan Kenobi, of course, refuses the advice of Yoda and decides to teach Anakin the ways of the Force. As we know, this turns out to not be the greatest choice, as Anakin decides to follow greed and the ways of the Sith rather than the ways of the Jedi Masters. Yet, I find Obi Wan's stubborn love of Anakin so very Jesus-like. Jesus knows that Peter will deny him three times, yet he declares that on Peter he will build his church. Jesus knows that Judas will betray him for a small pay day, and yet he still serves him dinner and washes his feet.
This is the great challenge of being a leader for our young folks: we have to accept that some will adhere to the straight and narrow like Luke and some will be wayward like Anakin. We patiently plant seeds and trust that the Holy Spirit will work, even in the darkest of Darth Vader times, Sometimes, we wish that we could protect our youth entirely from the Senator Palpatines of the world, who threaten to lead our youth down destructive and unhealthy paths, but I wonder, if Anakin had followed a perfect path, would Luke and Leia have ever been born? If Anakin had not entered so greatly into the dark side, would he ever have been able to defeat the Emperor? Even as he was made of more machine than human, was it too late for Anakin to make the turn toward the good side?
I believe that we are called to love our kids unconditionally, to set examples for their behavior, but to allow them to make their own decisions, to give them the tools to make decisions that follow God, but not to do the work for them. This makes youth ministry much more difficult. It means that when children sing "Glorify my name," we resolve to teach them something new about the sovereignty of God in a different way, but we are grateful that children, who otherwise might not step foot in a church, are finding joy and pleasure in singing praise to God, even if it's a little confused. It means that when youth read, "King Harold" we resolve to find a way for youth to learn about King Herod and biblical history, but we are grateful for kids reading in depth about the wise men and comparing the gospels to one another. It means that we rejoice, not in perfection, but in youth who are intentionally taking their own initiative to follow Jesus in their own imperfect ways.
Let me begin this blogpost by giving you a snapshot of Unity Presbyterian Church and our youth group. Unity is this vibrant 1300 member church in Fort Mill, SC, a "suburb" of Charlotte, but in many ways its own small town. The population is growing at an exponential rate, and our church seems to be following that trend too. In name, we are committed to the Presbyterian Church USA and to traditional style worship. We believe that we are hospitable and welcoming to every person that walks through our doors. We are a church that loves tradition, both in worship and in our heritage, and we hope to find freshness in this tradition, a freshness that translates ancient values into modern day society.
In our youth group, this election season has been interesting. We have both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters. We have students who proudly wear rainbow bracelets in support of the LGBTQ community and students who staunchly believe that homosexuality is a sin. We are mostly white, mostly middle class, mostly on-track-to-college, but we are constantly aware of those who lack any of these privileges and others. Our youth go to school with folks who are atheist, Southern Baptist, Mormon, Hindu, Muslim, and likely a whole range of other beliefs. We are on a constant quest to find balance and the ability to have discussions and love when we disagree. Throughout the election season, our youth (and the adults, especially me, their sassy pastor) were challenged to take a picture of someone in America (or a group) that represented someone they had the most difficulty loving. We had lots of kids take political candidates, misogynists, evangelicals, atheists, and more, and I know that this week, those pictures remained on their dressers, and distressed challenged hearts prayed earnestly to God. So as I prepared for yesterday's lesson, and I saw that the text was "Live in harmony with everyone," I said out loud, "Good one, God."
I've heard people on both sides this week saying that we need to accept who won the elections, be quiet, and come together. As though one can simply erase the last 18 months of harmful, personally attacking, hate inspired rhetoric. As though the voters who came out in earnest support of Trump, many of whom have felt marginalized and unheard for many years, should just pretend the last several years of silence never happened. As though minorities, who have been the victims of attacks by Trump supporters for months, should just forget all the oppression they have faced. As though when we look our neighbor and learn which candidate they supported, we don't automatically form a new opinion of that person. Of course, it's an easy thing to say or hope for, that we can all just get along and forget the hurts of our past, but I don't think it's the best solution. For one thing, nothing is accomplished. If we can't learn to talk about our differences in beliefs in a way that is constructive and respectful, we haven't made any progress at all. For another thing, we cannot expect people to be silent when they are mistreated; in fact, we should expect them not to be silent when they are mistreated, and we should stand on their side as well.
So as we looked at the scripture about living peacefully with one another, it became very clear to me and to our youth that living peacefully doesn't mean we simply agree to disagree and never speak of it again. It doesn't mean we only associate with people who are like-minded and share our values. It doesn't mean that we have the loudest voice and others are not heard. Put simply,
it means that we have to give up our desire, our need to be right.
Ask my husband: I really like being right. I really think I'm right like 99% of the time, even when I know I might be wrong. And there are some issues, frankly, that I just cannot fathom how a person could think differently than I do. I'm sure we all have moments like this, especially when we've been privileged enough to have our voices be heard. But as I woke up and was getting ready for work on Wednesday morning, as the election results were pouring in and social media was in an uproar, it occurred to me that today my task is the same as yesterday. Today, I strive to follow Jesus: which means that I strive to love and worship God to the best of my ability, which means I recognize that God is Lord and not I, which means that I know that I am sinful and in need of God's grace, which means that I love people in this world earnestly and passionately, which means that I see the minorities and people who are oppressed in any way and show them love, which means that I have a calling to step out of my comfort zone and into love, especially love that is not often seen in our society. It means that I love the militant Trump supporters and the minorities they oppress; it means that I love each kid that steps into the youth room no matter where they are in their journey, who they think they are, and what they've done.
Some biblical bullying...
We took a look at the argument between two of Jesus' apostles in the early days of the church: Peter and Paul. Peter, of course we know, was one of the original 12. The first half of the book of Acts is dedicated to Peter, who begins his ministry in Jewish synagogues and continuing a lot of traditions from the left half of the Bible (including the restrictions on meat and circumcision). As we know, Jesus renames Peter "The Rock" because the church will be built upon him. In other words, Peter's got some swag; he's the bee's knees, he's kind of important, and people listen to him. In the early days of Christianity, people weren't sure exactly what Jesus' resurrection might mean or who was included. Was this a new form of Judaism? Was this open to Gentiles? What does a person need to do to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Paul, on the other hand, was a Pharisee who actively persecuted the early church. The resurrected Jesus meets him on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, where has a conversion experience and is convinced to begin serving Jesus Christ. In Acts 11, we learn that Paul feels his distinct calling is to take the message of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, so that God's special relationship with the Jews could be known to all people. As we see in Acts 11 and in Galatians 1, Peter and Paul, among others, vehemently disagree with one another about what it means and what it looks like to be a follower of Christ. Some of their arguments get downright nasty.
Yet in scripture, we never really learn that they've figured out one way to agree. In fact, to this day, denominations all over the world disagree about what a person needs to do to be a Christian. No one was declared "right." I often imagine Paul and Peter arguing until the days of their deaths. And yet, they loved each other. They argued with love. Peter, as the founder of the Roman Catholic faith, and the apostle present in the Pentecost, is an essential part of the beginning of the church. We couldn't have done it without him. At the same time, Paul who traveled all over Europe and northern Africa spreading the news of the gospel to Gentiles was just as necessary. We see watermarks of their influence still on our beliefs two millennia later.
Paul and Peter give us a great example of what it means to disagree with love, and to learn how to be united in the desire to follow Jesus Christ. Both voices can be heard with respect and kindness even when we aren't going to agree.
Finally, the safety pins
All over social media, I've been seeing varying opinions about wearing safety pins. The safety pin is supposed to be a symbol on allies that that person is a safe person to talk to, that they will step in to defend the rights and dignity of minorities, and that they will not remain silent. Some people believe this is an easy way for people to voice their dissension from those who may have voted for Donald Trump out of dislike for minorities. And, I think that makes some sense. The day after the election, I had a lot of folks on my Facebook newsfeed who have darker skin than I do, who are members of the LGBTQ community, who are immigrants or refugees, who are victims of sexual assault, who immediately declared, "Do I have a place in Trump's America?" Regardless of where you stand politically, it is absolutely heartbreaking that anyone has to ask if they are safe in America; that is not what we stand for, it is not how we were founded, and it should not be something we tolerate for our future. I want those people, immediately, to know that I care, that I love them, and that I am a safe person to come to.
Yet at the same time, I heard another voice. I heard people say racist things out of ignorance and violent things out of frustration. I heard voters come out and declare that even though they don't agree with some of the progressive moves in our country's politics, they refuse to be left behind. America has declared that gun violence is a problem, same sex couples can marry, and black lives matter, and for better or worse, they aren't ready for that. No one has stood next to them and explained why these things are important. They are asked to put their feet in someone else's shoes, but they feel no one has considered their own experience. I am by no means saying that these people are oppressed, but have we really made progress half of our population doesn't understand why we are making it?
And finally, I have been struck by silent voices. I've heard a lot of white people on TV talking about black voters, but I haven't heard enough (in my opinion) about the political feelings of the black population (I say this not as a slight toward them but toward the media). I have heard a lot of so-called important issues across the news, and yet I haven't heard a political candidate or a media personality say more than a passing word about the pipeline going through sacred lands in North Dakota and the continued mistreatment of the Native American population there.
We are using a safety pin instead of a push pin or a needle because it reminds us that God's love is always safe. In God's love, we don't need to be right. Whether we believe that homosexuality is a sin or not, we can agree that no person should consider hurting themselves because of their sexuality. Whether we understand all of the complexities of our nation's racism, we can all agree that no one should fear for their lives because of the color of their skin. Whether we want to take in all the refugees or put a strict limit on our borders, we can all agree that people who are fleeing from terror should be able to find a place where they are safe.
God's love is safe, complete, and whole. We don't always have to be right, but we do have to be loving. Even if one way does prove to be more right than another, we are not going to achieve understanding between opposing parties until we can enter a conversation knowing that we ourselves are beloved children of God and the person with whom we are arguing is also a beloved child of God. Jesus gave us the example when he heals on the Sabbath, when he touches lepers, and speaks to sinful women; Jesus, in his actions, gives us the example that God's work isn't about being right but about being loving.
#2: Still a pin
The safety pins remind us that we have a calling to commit ourselves to this love each day. We are not going to be successful every day. There will always be people who are hard to love, situations we can't understand, and people with whom we disagree, but the pin reminds us that we are called to follow Jesus first, not our own opinions. This means that some of us will wear our safety pins on our clothes, holding ourselves accountable to being a voice alongside minorities and those being bullied in our community. Some of us are called to be advocates. This means that some of us will wear our safety pins in our pockets or out of sight because perhaps we aren't called to protect but to learn how to understand. Perhaps we are called to think before we speak or try to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. Perhaps we are simply called to just not be mean. None of us are called to violent acts in words and in physical action against another person because of who they are. None of us are called to be bystanders while violence and conflict occur. All of us are called to follow Jesus in actions of love and empathy.
#3: Not just a symbol but a lifestyle
Wearing this pin could be a really convenient way for white, straight, rich people to feel good about themselves. You could, in theory, wear this pin and mean nothing by it, just wanting the public to think you are a good person. Like when my Ultimate Frisbee team in college prayed before a game. But if you aren't going to accompany this symbol with a lifestyle change, then you're not ready to wear it on the outside of your clothes. Like when our team captain at Ultimate Frisbee proceeded to cuss out the referees and the other team approximately 10 minutes after our prayer. This pin is about taking a real look at ourselves, acknowledging our prejudices and bias, acknowledging our privilege and pride, acknowledging the difference between self and other while also acknowledging that in diversity we are beloved by God. It's about challenging ourselves to live into the call of God and affirming that we are people of love. Not all of us will wear the pins for everyone to see, but each of us are called to this self-assessment and humbling of self. This is our only path to peace.
So join us:
We are not perfect. We are sinners trying to follow a perfect God. We will probably never all agree about politics or racial issues or homosexuality, or whatever the case may be. What we can agree on is the love of Jesus Christ in this world. When we participate in hate, we are denying that love. When we ignore the hurt around us, we are denying that love. When we care more about our own pride and rightness, we are denying that love. I welcome dissenting opinions about this, in hopes that we might have loving discussion in the vein of Peter and Paul, so that our tomorrow really might be more peaceful than today.
