Grace Traces

Waste of time

2012-03-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor. ³The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. ⁴The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. ⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. ⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” ¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. ¹¹May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Marva Dawn begins her book, A Royal “Waste” of Time, with this Psalm. She states that worship really is a ‘waste of time’ when viewed from the values and lens of society. After all, an hour on Sunday morning hopefully produces a deeper relationship with God and challenge to be a better neighbor; but how does that help the economy? An hour on Sunday morning hopefully stirs something deep within us; but it does not really feed a hungry person. An hour on Sunday morning may tune us to hear God’s voice; but what does that mean on Monday morning?

Of course, Dawn is being satirical when she suggests worship is a ‘waste’ of time, hence the quotation marks. Yet, increasingly we live in a society that does not see much worth in worship. People make choices with schedules and find more meaning in going to sport events, shopping, traveling or just hanging out at home reading the paper than at worship. I say that not because I want people to feel guilty, but because it is a reality people face today. Part of the reason why Sunday morning is so crowded now is due to the flood of activity in our world spilling over onto a day that was once protected. Church at one time had a monopoly and was the only game in town on Sunday morning. That just is not the case anymore. And we can wring our hands and wish for some time machine to transport us back in time, or we can face the reality and listen for God’s still speaking voice today.

It is not only the fact that stores are open. Even if blue laws were reinstated, I am not convinced we’d have to open the balcony on Sunday morning. The truth we need to confront is that it is NOT a waste of time to sit and simply be. We live in a culture that does not value silence or slowing down from a frenzied pace. If we don’t say we are “busy” when someone asks us how we are doing, we assume something is wrong with us. So, on this Saturday, I want to encourage you to “waste” time. Look at an old photo album. Pray. Write a silly story. Do something that other’s would say has no value and then come to church on Sunday. Because we worship a God who says our value comes not from our hands, our minds, or what we produce. Our value comes from being a beloved child of God. Period. See you in church. Blessings and peace. Amen.

Just Doing My Job Reprise

2012-03-01T07:01:00.003-08:00

Yesterday at the Lenten services, I preaching about what it means to 'do my job'. The thoughts below reprise that sermon and offer a few additional thoughts.

What we do for a living and how we see ourselves is often intricately intertwined. One reason for that is the sheer volume of our time spent at work. Another reason is our work has become a socially acceptable topic to discuss in mixed company. And so often the stories we tell about ourselves are based on experiences we have doing things at work or out in the community. So, what you do gets wrapped up in who you are and how you see yourself. When we talk about our ‘job’ our minds drift to thinking about those activities for which we are paid as well as increasingly those activities for which we have responsibility and accountability. So, my ‘job’ might be both a pastor and a father. My work is both inside the church and also what I do around the house. I might be paid for my work as a pastor, but I certainly (alongside my wife) am accountable and responsible for my children.

Yesterday at the Lenten services, I spoke about how our job is really to be the people of God. I want to be careful here not to come across as making this sound too pie in the sky. To be the people of God is not something extra or additional to add to your already overfull schedules. To be the people of God acknowledges the truth that our primary role in all times and in all places and in all relationships is to hold fast to who we are and whose we are. We are the beloved children of God. We belong to God through a life giving and life changing relationship that unfolds every single day of our life. To be the people of God takes us into our offices where numbers are crunched and into classrooms where children are taught and into meeting after meeting after meeting. To be the people of God is not just a role we slip into when we walk into the church doors, it is a role we live into every single day of our life.

Tomorrow I will comment on the “but how do we be the people of God?” question as it relates to our scripture lesson for Sunday. But for today, I want to stress that being the people of God is not something extra we do, but a fundamental faithful characteristic that we live out in our daily life. The truth is you can be the people of God in different settings and in every profession. What would it mean for you to be the people of God when you sit down to a meeting today? What would it feel like for you to be the people of God when you go to volunteer? What would it look like to be the people of God when you type an email?

I also want to stress that I am using the plural form of that phrase intentionally. To be the people of God is not an isolated, individualistic endeavor. Or to quote one of my favorite authors, Albert Winseman, “The phrase ‘individual Christian’ is an oxymoron.” Sure, you are an individual who has been claimed by God. Sure, right now you might be by yourself reading this devotional. But…there are others in our church reading this devotional. You are connected to a church who gathers every Sunday to worship God. You are connected to brothers and sisters in Christ who go by different denominational brand names, but still we all try to follow Jesus. You are connected to a world-wide family of people in different countries. To be the people of God celebrates those connections. And to be the people of God is what we are called to live out today, in the places you go and the people you bump up against.

Prayer: Gracious God, help me today realize this world wide web of connections to all Your people And help me live out my job to be the people of God whether I am crunching numbers or repairing cars or talking to children or wherever and whatever I do today. Amen.

Singing a Psalm

2012-02-25T05:48:00.003-08:00

Psalms are important for several reasons. First, since psalms are really a hybrid of poetry and song, you need to slow down when you read one. Imagine letting each line taking several seconds to read so it sinks into your mind, heart and imagination. Second, I recently ran across this thought from Eugene Peterson, “The prayer life of Jesus was formed, as the lives of all praying Jews were formed in the first century, by the Psalm - those 150 prayers that gather everything in our lives into a responsive believing and obedience to God.” (The Jesus Way, pg. 218). As we open our hearts and imaginations to the psalms that very action is prayer.
Today, the psalm I selected is Psalm 2, not usually one that makes our Top Ten Lists of the best loved psalms of all time. But Psalm 2 is one of the most quoted psalms in the New Testament. Portions of this psalm are found in Matthew 3:17; Acts 4:25-26 and 13:33; Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5; 2 Peter 1:17; Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5 and 19.15. So, I encourage you to slowly and in with a savory pace read this psalm.

Why do the nations conspire,
And the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and his anointed saying,
“Let us burst their bonds asunder,
And cast their cords from us.

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
The Lord has them in derision (contempt)
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
And terrify them in his fury, saying,
“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
Today I have begotten you. (note the echoes of Jesus’ baptism)
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage.
And the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
And dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
Be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear
With trembling kiss his feet
Or he will be angry, and you will
Perish in the way;
For his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in him.

So, my first response that this psalm is, really? Why is this the most quoted psalm? Why not the 23rd or the 121nd? Or I really like the psalms about making a joyful noise. I think part of the reason why this is quoted frequently is because it takes God’s presence in the world seriously and that God has a deep connection to all of Creation that God formed - from the earth to the trees to the humans and our ways of organizing ourselves. Second, while what often jumps off the page are the violent images, there is a promise that God will stay connected and in relationship with us, even when things go badly. In the book from Eugene Peterson that I quoted at the start of today’s devotion, he makes the claim that we can get so wrapped up in only seeing the sin and naming the brokenness that we miss the grace and where God is moving in reconciling ways. I think about that in my life. This last week my mother has been in the hospital, there have been lots of ups and downs. To be sure, it is a difficult situation. But also, within that reality, the support from the people at church has been sustaining and a true blessing. Within that reality, the woman my brother is dating is a nurse to help us sort through the medical information. Within that reality, I have felt God’s presence. It does not erase the difficulty, but it does offer a sacred refuge that the psalmist speaks about. I encourage you over this next week to read and reread this psalm. I would enjoy hearing your response to this psalm as well. What goes on in your imagination after reading it four or five times over the coming days? What questions and insights come to your heart?

May the traces of God's grace this day and week offer you a refuge and strength and a reminder of God’s promise now and throughout our Lenten journey. Amen.

Grief

2012-02-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping
Psalm 6:6

This week I have two funerals on two consecutive days. This is unusual for me. But, it gives me time to think prayerfully about how we do and do not deal with grief in our world.

Most of us are uncomfortable with grief. This is in spite of the fact that every single day we encounter moments of loss and the grief that comes with it. Often these are little things. Maybe we notice that our body is not healing as quickly as we'd like. Maybe we are facing a job transition. Maybe we notice that our kids seem older. Maybe we see a co-worker retire whose wisdom we always appreciated. Maybe a friend moves out of the community. Then, of course, there is the grief we sense when someone passes from this life into the next.

The psalms are full of honest emotions in response to heartfelt grief. Especially the one listed above. Another translation of the passage is that the psalmist bed is literally afloat in his tears. It can feel that way. Often it is in the night when the emotions we spent all day trying to push down finally find their way out in the form of tears or exhaustion or even frustration we direct at those closest too us.

Even if our own life feels calm right now, we need only turn on the television to see images of violence and bickering or brokenness that might also cause our hearts to well up with grief. When you don't allow space to recognize the grief for what it is, when you don't allow your heart the opportunity to express that grief, you know that sooner or later you can no longer push down the emotions.

I am grateful that the psalmist spoke these words. I am grateful that in trying to work my way prayerfully through two funerals this week I ran across these words. I encourage you to get out your Bible and read the whole psalm. Think about some of the places right now where you feel like you have lost something. Think about some places right now where you feel like you have gained something new. Think about where the traces of God's grace might be found in both.

For me, God is found when we gather to celebrate a person's life, entrust that person to God's everlasting care and then go eat Jell-O salads and cookies together. For me, it is found when I notice my kids are older and I notice while they don't need the same care they did two years ago, they still need a dad. For me, it is found when I name aloud and ask for God's strength to sustain me in the midst of honest, heartfelt grief. I pray you will sense the traces of God's grace this day and throughout the week to come.

Blessings and peace.

Ordinary

2012-02-09T11:41:00.000-08:00

It has felt like an ordinary, average week. Trudging through the days with my trusty to-do list on my desk, checking off items, and generally immersed in the everyday-ness of life. That feels true around the church where the nearest sacred day (Easter) is a little less than two months away, but also feels true at home where the routine of making lunches, doing homework, and the day in, day out common events have worn a rut in our lives.

Don't get me wrong, I love schedules. I like the orderliness of it all. To be honest, it makes me feel like I am in control, because I know what to expect next. Yet, I also like serendipity and some surprises every day.

This week was short of surprises. Usually, when I think of traces of God's grace, those surprise moments are the ones that rise to the top for me...like cream. But when it is an ordinary, average week; when nothing in particular seems to distinguish itself from the to-do list, what then?

Is God found in moments when I am trying to brush out the snarls in my daughter's hair...taking care but rushing to get out the door? Is God found in the same spaghetti meal we've had several times this winter already? Is God found looking at the same computer screen, checking email, going about my daily work?

Often what I read talks about finding God on the mountain tops of joy or in times of difficulty. But what about a week like this, where life has taken on the motto of a turtle: "slow and steady wins the race"?

I am still processing this...as you might have already guessed. But, something in me says that God created all that is around us and within us; the promise is of God's presence in all times and places. And "all" means that even in the midst of an ordinary week filled with leftovers and life as usual, God is there. Maybe because I have gone through this week with a "been there, done that" kind of outlook, I have missed some of those serendipitous moments. Perhaps there was a faintness in the midst of the ordinariness.

Come to think of it, last night my wife and I started laughing so hard over a silly joke about vacation until my stomach hurt. Come to think of it, at a meeting on Monday night, people started to share where they had seen God's grace in their lives...even people who don't usually talk. Come to think of it, the sun is shining today and the ordinary gray of a February day is not the norm. Come to think of it...well actually...I pray by now you can fill in that sentence for yourself with a trace of God's grace you've experienced.

May those traces continue to offer you hope, peace, joy and love of God in the midst of these ordinary winter weeks ahead.

Blessings and peace.

Faithful Seeing

2012-02-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

Mark 6:47-56

The often quoted and somewhat misleading cliche is that, "Seeing is believing". It is phrase shaped by the Enlightenment where what could be observed through the scientific method was believed to be closest to the truth. What the phrase misses is that what we see, experience, taste, and touch can have an emotional impact on how we see and what we believe.

A quick example: both my kids are now playing basketball. I love both my kids, but they could not be more opposite in their personalities. Every Saturday, my wife or I trek down to the Y and cheer on our kids. It is a blast. But what do I see when I watch my daughter who constantly passes the ball and has yet to try to take a shot? What do I see when my son races for every rebound? What I see is an extended reflection of what I am coming to know of both their personalities. In some ways, what I believe can impact what I see or at least what I am willing to see.

The disciples six chapters into Mark's gospels have seen a lot. People being healed, Jesus being welcomed with open arms, Jesus being shooed away, and they have even been sent out two by two and saw amazing things in their interactions with others. Last week, they saw over five thousand people be fed with five loaves and two fish. I don't know about you, but that is more than I usually see in a year. It is a lot to process.

In the passage above, Jesus causally walked on water like he is out for an evening stroll. And he seemed surprised that his water-walking would awaken fear and trembling in the eyes of the disciples. I must confess that I am with the disciples on this one.

Remember, that John the Baptizer had been killed just before the feeding. In their grief, they were about to go to a deserted place to be alone, to remember, and to comfort each other. But before they could get away a crowd gathered and Jesus felt compelled to teach. Then in the moments after the twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered, Jesus told the disciples to get in the boat.

I image their minds were swimming, afloat and adrift with countless thoughts and deep emotions. And so, when Jesus came walking past, I might have joined in the screams of thinking it was a ghost. Strange things had been happening, the disciples were exhausted emotionally, spiritually, and maybe even physically.

I am not sure why this caught Jesus off-guard. But it feels like the disciples and Jesus were not on the same page. Jesus wanted them to understand, for the proverbial light bulb to go off. The disciples wanted to understand, but A and B were not leading to C.

I think this happens in the church, in our work, and in our families. Someone sees the situation one way; another person sees the situation another. Trying to work out the tension between what is seen, or just trying to find words to communicate can be a challenge. Hence another cliche about "seeing eye to eye." Over the next several chapters, the disciples and Jesus keep trying to work through how each understands the other. Like all relationships that are meaningful, it takes work and there are moments of pure joy and disagreements.

I encourage you this week to be aware of what you are seeing. Who are the faces in the crowd at the grocery store? What do you see when you look around the dinner table? What about those pictures on the wall, what do you see? What do you see when you look around the church? How do you make sense of that?

I don't think I can see clearly all the time. But then again, life is not a test we have to pass. Sometimes out of moments when we get things wrong, when our vision is blurry, when we just fail to see something plain as day until later on, there can be great learning.

I pray that as you notice what is around you, you would also notice traces of God's grace stirring in your life in a way that makes a difference.

Blessings and peace to you.

Expansive

2012-01-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Mark 6:14-44

These two stories usually are not linked together. Usually we deal with Herod's misuse of power as separate from Jesus' feeding of the five thousand. After all, what do they really have to do with each other?

On the surface this first part of the passage has political overtones that remind us of stories we hear today. Here you have Herod throwing his birthday party. In comes his own daughter who dances for him and delights him so much he will give her whatever she wants: a corvette, her own music video, even half of his own power! To be sure, Dr. Spock would not approve of this parenting style. To be sure, I find it a bit disturbing. Herod never comes across great. In Matthew's gospel, Herod is so threatened by Jesus' birth, the Jesus' family has to flee down to Egypt, a la Joseph, because Herod said he would kill all the first born sons, a la Moses right before the Passover.

But lest we think Herod is a one dimensional character, it should be noted that Herod does not really want to harm John the Baptizer. In fact, it says in verse 20, Herod even "protected" John. It seems like Herod has a soft spot for John, even after John calls him to task for marrying his sister-in-law, Herodias. But Herodias can't let her grudge go.

Mother and daughter consult on what wish they want Herod to grant and come up with John's head on a platter. It is violent and we see just how much anger and resentment builds within us when we are unable/unwilling to forgive. We see first hand how much revenge can blur our vision and leads to hurting people.

That being said, what in the world does this have to do with the feeding of the five thousand? I am glad you asked.

Jesus hears John is dead. He is heartbroken. He wants to get away, go to a deserted place by himself (vs. 31). But just as he tries, he sees a crowd. Not just any crowd, five thousand! That is the most people to gather around Jesus so far in the gospel. It is a huge crowd. And Jesus is moved with compassion, which means something within his gut compelled him that he could not just keep going on as planned. So, he stopped and taught and when the disciples wanted to send the crowd away, Jesus said, "You give them something to eat."

One part that I find so compelling when you connect these two passages is that Jesus takes a moment of profound grief and pours it out in love. Rather than drawing inward, which is usually the most natural response, Jesus moves outward to an extreme number of people. The other part that is so compelling when you connect these two passages is that Jesus invited the disciples (and us) to do the same.

We live in a world today where people want to circle the wagons in fear. We want to protect our own and think that fences will keep all the bad parts of life at bay. That is not always the case. Life, true life, is a risk. We can be proactive, create all kinds of plans and lists, and even try to plot the trajectory of our life. At some point, there will be a bump - big or small. And we will need to confront that we don't control everything. Some things are out of our hands. Some things happen in spite of our plans and in spite of God's grace and love. That does not mean that God's grace and love are not present in the bumps along life's road. But I think in order to find that grace - at times- we need to be more open and draw the circle wider.

Again, that is hard. My natural instinct is to protect myself when I hit a bump. And I believe there are times when you do need to protect yourself and not over extend yourself and not expose yourself to more hurt/harm. There are also times when drawing inward doesn't help us and does not open us to the traces of God's grace. Sorting out when to draw in and when to draw out is not easy. For me, that is why I am a part of a church and try to engage in conversation with those I respect. God's presence, traces of God's grace, can be found when I talk openly about the bumps in life's road and listen to the response of those around me.

So, may you notice God's presence and grace and love in times of grief and in time of joy and in those ordinary times in-between.

Peace!

Calm in the midst of a (snow) storm

2012-01-21T05:25:00.000-08:00

Mark 4:35-41

After going most of December without snow and even enjoying 50 degree weather the first week of January, Wisconsin has once again realized it is not Florida. Over the past couple of weeks snow has caused me to cancel meetings, nurse sore muscles that I had not used since shoveling last winter, and remember that some drivers treat snow fall like a sort of invincibility shield thinking that the two inches of space is plenty of room to pull into on-coming traffic.

And so when I read about Jesus resting at the back of the boat, I must confess I am a bit jealous. In the midst of life with kids activities, school events, work, cleaning, and did I mention about trying to keep the driveway clean of snow? It is difficult to find rest, especially in the midst of a storm.

The waves crashed in on the boat, the disciples were yelling, there was loud commotion, and Jesus was snoozing in the back of the boat. It is such an odd scene, I can't help but laugh. Either Jesus was really tired or was like my college roommate could slept through fire alarms. Like so many times we encounter humor in scripture, when the laughter subsides is the moment the scripture writers make their point.

"Peace...Be Still" Jesus says. Most of the time I've thought that Jesus was saying both to the storm all around. More and more I think that that one of those comments and maybe even both were actually directed at the disciples.

How in the world do we find peace in the midst of the snow storms of life? How in the world can we be still when there is so much to do? Ever try to sit still when you have a nagging sense that there is something you are suppose to or could be doing? In those moments, my mind keeps screaming..."Don't just sit there...do something." And the only way to quiet the voice is to get up and respond to the laundry that needs folding or the lawn that needs mowing.

Those words are powerful especially since one chapter earlier, Chapter 3, Jesus confronted the idea of Sabbath by healing a man who lived with a diseased hand. Even as Jesus says you cannot legislate Sabbath, a short time later, he finds his own Sabbath space. He finds time (to quote Barbara Brown Taylor) when he is "good for nothing" and rests.

I pray this morning as the sunlight glistens off the newly fallen snow that we would find moments of rest and especially the peace Jesus spoke in the midst of the storm to the disciples. And may that moment of rest and peace grant you the openness to sense the traces of God's grace in your life.

Blessings, peace and grace.

Seeds

2012-01-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

Mark 4:1-20

Quick review of Mark so far...

There is a proclamation of good news... the Heavens are ripped open, Jesus is tempted, and John is arrested. This makes our news today seem down right chipper. But, God is on the loose in our world in such a way that life cannot go back to usual just because the Christmas tree is down and we got our credit card bill in the mail.

Mark continues with stories of healing. Jesus does not begin his ministry with a sermon, but with reaching out in relationships. Something good for me to remember. While it would be a whole different way of being and doing church, I wonder how powerful it would be to gather in people's homes for several Sundays in a row to talk, worship, sing, pray and most importantly nurture relationships with each other? That might challenge our faith in a new, good way.

In chapter 4, we encounter one of the first parables in Mark, that of the worst seed planter in history. The person either does not know what he is doing or is careless. It is a strange time to be talking about seeds. The ground is frozen. Tomorrow there is a projection for our first serious snow fall of the year. While we might be dreaming about spring, no one is even close to going out into the back yard to plant seeds into the rich Rock County soil.

So, the parable is jarring on two levels - it is the wrong season and the seed sower (to put a positive spin on things) is eccentric. After the story lingers in the air for a while and the crowd goes away scratching their collective heads, the disciples ask, 'what in the world are you talking about Jesus?' (That is a paraphrase).

Jesus says the sower is someone who offers a word of good news. The sower is the one who comes with words not of selling something or words of indisputable correctness or even careless words. The words are good news kind of words. The kind of words we centered ourselves around during the month of December in Advent: hope, peace, joy and love.

Even if that is the case, my tendency is to be really careful with those kinds of words. Don't talk about hope too much, someone might be going through a rough time. Don't talk about peace too much, the television shows too many images where peace feels far away. Don't talk about joy, the economy is bad. Don't talk about love, less people think I don't notice reality all around.

Part of what I hear Jesus saying is that we can be generous and even careless and certainly extravagant with our words of good news. Therein is the rub. It is easier for me to grumble about the bad news of television rather than go out and offer good news to an albeit smaller audience but nevertheless fertile soil. This is a good passage for any of us who ever open our mouths to speak. The point may not be whether our words grow into Jack and the Beanstalk like plants or little green sprouts that stay small. The question the parable leaves me with as I enter into a new year is, what words are falling from my mouth? And I don't think it means I always have to be peskily optimistic. There is always room for honesty. There is always room to name injustice and brokenness. And there is always room to notice and name the light that is streaming in from the cracks in our life.

May the traces of God's grace be found in the words that fall from your mouth this week into the soil of your life and the lives of those around you. May the traces of God's grace be found in words spoken honestly and hopefully.

Blessings and peace.

Healing

2012-01-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Click to read Mark 1:21-45

Mark begins his Gospel, which means Good News, by telling us that the heavens are ripped open, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness and John the Baptizer is arrested. Really? That is suppose to be good news? Yet, as Don Juel points out, when the Heavens are ripped open is because God is on the loose in the world.
After calling Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him, Jesus begins to heal people. Healing and the church have a strange history. To be sure some of the first hospitals were founded and run by churches, priests were some of the first physicians, but there is also that pesky Exorcist film as well as televangelists claiming to heal people instantly on stage that has driven a wedge of skepticism in people's minds when it comes to religion and healing.
I recently toured a new hospital opening in the city where I live in. I had never seen a surgical room before, but as I glanced in there were computers and pinpoint precision lasers and lots of other cool things that I did not have the foggiest idea what it was used for. The tour guide made sure to point out how state of the art things were and how seriously this hospital would take healing people.
Don't get me wrong, I am glad for the marvels of modern medicine. But I also have bumped up against its limits. I have sat with families who cannot believe the doctor cannot do anything more to cure them. I have seen families ready to say 'goodbye' to loved ones, only to have doctors unable/unwilling to stop. Even with all the best equipment in the world, we know that our bodies are mortal and finite.
And while I don't want to return to a time of pastors as doctors (I am pretty squeamish around blood), I do think there is a key difference between healing and wholeness that we do not talk about. I may feel physically fine, but emotionally be a wreak. I may be happy as can be, but the only thing that seems to soothe my soul is an addiction to alcohol or shopping.
Today we divide our bodies up to specialists. We go to someone who knows all about the heart, to another person who knows all about the pain in our foot, to someone else who helps us work through our emotions and then off to church. Part of the gospel claim is that we are more than the sum of our parts. We are whole-ly (holy) created in the image of God.
The healing narratives tell us of Jesus talking with the person living with illness or seeing people as whole people even with the illness. I pray as people of faith we would see ourselves as whole people, see the connections within us, from our tiny pinkie toe to the hair on the top of our head - no matter how much hair might be up there. I think there is healing in seeing ourselves as whole people, and encouraging others to see us that way too.

May traces of God's grace be found as you look in the mirror and into the eyes of those you bump up against this week.

Blessings

In Between

2011-12-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

Beginning this Sunday, January 1 and through Easter morning, I will be walking sequentially through the Gospel of Mark in our Sunday morning worship. Some of my upcoming posts will be on the passages in Mark I will not be preaching on. You can hear the sermons I do preach on through the church's website. I will also still post traces of God's grace that I notice within my life. I hope these in between passages along with the sermons will help open you to the mystery and power of Mark's story telling.

Click here to read Mark 1:21-45

Jesus begins his ministry in the wilderness through baptism and prayer. It is Mark's nod to Exodus where the Jewish people wandered for forty long years. Out of the wilderness, Jesus gathers and attracts a community of people around him. We often marvel at the willingness of the disciples to leave a job in order to follow him. And yet, in Jesus' day to be invited to follow a teacher or a rabbi was like getting into an esteemed college. It was a huge honor to be asked to be a disciple. And while their were sacrifices, in Mark's gospel we read that there were still connections with family (see 1:29-31).
What sticks out for me in verses 21-45 are the vivid word choices Mark employs. He uses words like 'astonished' (22); 'cried out' (24); 'rebuked' (25); amazed (27); 'fame' (28); and my favorite - Simon and the others 'hunted' (36) for Jesus.
It is odd language. It is evocative and emotional. And not exactly the sort of words we usually associate with the gospels.
Mark uses words like begging, kneeling, moved with compassion (which literally means to 'have your bowels moved), and sternly ordering.
And because Mark uses an economy of words, you center in on this strong words that awaken a strong reaction.
While it is interesting to contemplate why Mark used these active, emotional, strong words.

What sticks with me more is this...

When was the last time you had your faith stirred?

When was the last time you were astounded or cried out or felt your whole self moved deeply or even were bend on finding the sacred?

I grew up in a part of the Protestant faith that is self described as 'heady'. We analyze and hypothesize and intellectualize. I often have felt like our deepest goal is to come up with a sound, rational argument for faith.
Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy thinking. But living in my head can cut me off from emotions and the rest of my body. I believe when God created us in God's image God did so with the prayer that we would be thinking and feeling and living full human embodied beings. God created us whole-ly (and holy). That means if we live too long in our minds or hearts or physical needs/wants, we become disconnected from the other parts of ourselves that are important.

What I love about Mark is that you feel his passion for telling the story about Jesus jump off the page. I image Mark (whoever that was) feverishly writing, unable to do anything else until he got this deeply felt confession off his chest. He invites you into that same feeling.

So, when was the last time your faith was deeply stirred or you felt so compelled to respond to the traces of God's grace in your life?

I hope you will ponder that question as we approach a new year and new beginning. I pray you will sense God's presence within your life in a real way. May the God of active verbs and who loves us fully surround you and sustain you throughout 2012.

Peace.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

On a silent night
On a holy night
Long ago the first faint gleam of Christmas
Broke into our world
It all happened in a little town of Bethlehem
And while others might have said, 'what child is this?'
Two parents knew in their hearts who the child was
Who slept away in a manger
But that wasn't all
Angel from the realms of glory
Sang out with gusto to shepherd who watched their flock by night
And hark the herald angels sing out still
The good news of great joy to all people
Unto us a child was born
Unto us a son give
Who is the light to the world
Who is the response to the prayer, O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Who is Christ.

As we inch toward that silent night and holy night this year,
May God's unconditional and unceasing love's pure light
Shine forth in your life.

Thank you for reading Grace Traces...I look forward to continuing to share random thoughts and moments when I notice the traces of God's grace in my life in ways that hopefully speak deeply to your heart, life, and faith throughout 2012.

Merry Christmas to you and God's peace in 2012

Stage Set

2011-12-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

Over the last several weeks, I have been searching for a new nativity set. Our current set is made of porcelain and is fragile. I really wanted one my kids could touch without sending my anxiety soaring that they might drop one of the pieces.

One of the reason why I think nativity sets are important is they invite us to stand in the straw. We see the scene and we are drawn into the stable to be part of the cast of characters witnessing the birth of Jesus. But most importantly, creche pieces are met to be held in our hands because the whole set proclaims the most basic, profound truth of Christmas: God comes into our lives, God moves into our neighborhood, God in flesh and bone.

Christmas is not some abstract idea about God. Rather, Christmas proclaims loud and clear that the living, breathing, laughing, crying, eating with outcasts, calling fishermen and women at the well to be disciples, story telling, bread breaking, trial facing, death conquering God comes into our life again as 2011 dwindles and 2012 dawns. That is what holding a porcelain shepherd or sheep or Mary or Joesph and especially a small baby Jesus means to me.

So, I started searching. When we were out shopping, I'd wander over to the Christmas display and usually there was one creche scene set up...but they just did not get for me.

So, I started searching the internet. And I found out that the first nativity scene was a living nativity done by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. That will be a really cool fact if I am ever on Jeopardy! But did not really help my search.

So, I started looking on Amazon. I found a really interesting nativity set featuring ducks which reminds me that there are some strange things in this world.

So, I kept searching and even discovered that at one time in England people would make a mince pie and said that as the cradle of Christ. While I am not sure about the sacredness of a rubber duck nativity, I am okay with the sacredness of pie. But, atlas, the Puritans did away with this tradition calling it, "an idolatry of crust."

And we thought we had problems today.

My problem was still finding a creche scene I was comfortable letting my kids get close enough to so they could sense the good news of the Christmas story.

But then amid my searching, one night I watched as my daughter carefully handled each of the porcelain pieces, setting the scene with such grace. I watched my son not argue with her about the scene, but he watched peacefully.

Suddenly, I realized what I was really looking for...I had already found. Right there, without a new set or one of ducks or even one made of pie. While I was searching, my kids had already found the profound truth: God is with us in ways that stirs our hearts to act with care and kindness and love.

May serendipitous moments of God's grace be seen in your life this week as we continue to travel to the stable and manger where love's pure light shines forth and makes all the difference.

Grace and peace to you all this Advent season.

Left...over

2011-12-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

My family and I are still noshing on leftover turkey. Which got me thinking about how leftovers have really gotten a bad reputation over the years. True...turkey sandwiches night after night can numb the taste buds...but leftovers can also inspire us to try new recipes or even experiment with our own culinary talents.

And that got me thinking about the sermon I preached on Jeremiah 18:1-11 a few weeks ago...Thanksgiving weekend actually. There are some times I want a mulligan on sermons. Not that the one I preach was necessarily bad (you can click here to hear the "Reformed and Reshaped sermon) It was just that I could sense that a few of the pieces were not quite coming together the way I'd like.

This passage from Jeremiah talks about God being like a potter who reworks a 'marred' piece of clay. On the surface, this can feel like a less than affirming image of God or of us as humanity either. To be sure, we all have flaws or things we want to change. But to think of God reshaping those flaws or even us entirely feels forceful. Not to mention, we are surrounded by images daily that point out our shortcomings when it comes to our skin, our clothes, our car, the top ten ways we could be a better parent, save more, and have fresher breath. I want to come to church and for a few fleeting moments remember that I have gifts and do occasionally get things right and that God sees that too.

Yet the more I have thought of this image of a potter and clay, the less I am convinced that there is really anything forceful about it. Think of it this way. If you are working with clay and the vase you are shaping ends up like a blob in your hand; chances are you will be a bit frustrated. If when you start to reshape and reform that clay you are still carrying that frustration, if the tension sits on your shoulders, there is a really good chance the clay is going to rebel and become misshaped just like it did the first time.

You have to work with the clay (not against it or force it). You have to be in tune to places where the clay is getting too thin or the shape is starting to be distorted. Doing that in a frustrated or angry way just does not work. How much more for us as humans involved in this profound and life giving relationship with God?

So, if God is reshaping us and reforming us, I don't believe it is done in frustration at all. Just as clay can have a life of its own...so much more for you and I. God's reworking sees our potential, sees the way you and I are taking shape, sees where we are running a bit thin (especially this time of year).

Two weeks ago, I wish I would have had that insight.

But then again, like the leftover turkey tetrazzini my family will be enjoying tonight, I might have missed a chance to write this post.

May God's presence and peace surround you during this sacred time of year in a way that gives you strength and fills you with God's love. May the traces of God's grace be felt as we inch closer to Bethlehem this Advent season.

Prepare the Way

2011-11-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

Our turkey is thawing in the fridge, the sweet potatoes wait on the counter to be cooked, and well if the pie was in the house it would already be half-eaten. Thanksgiving gathers us around a table of abundance and we bump elbows with our relatives and friends. Around the table there can be everything from laughter to tension if the topics of religion or politics come up. Around the table we celebrate the truth that our connections with each other and with God matter and make a difference.

Thanksgiving, in the popular culture signals the entrance to the holiday season. Shopping and parties and frenzied schedules. Thanksgiving in the church marks the entrance to Advent. Advent is a time set aside as the church to be intentional and prayerful about how we journey to Bethlehem to witness again and anew the birth of Jesus. Advent names aloud for all to hear that we already know the road to Bethlehem. This is one place where popular culture helps the church tell the story. Think about The Peanuts where Linus dons his blanket to recite the Luke passage after Charlie Brown exclaims at the top of his voice that 'Doesn't anyone know the true meaning of Christmas?!?!"(if you need a reminder of this great scene, clink here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA)

But because we have 'been there, done that' with the Christmas narrative, you may wonder why? Why do we need Advent? Why not show up on Christmas Eve ready... set...go? Why add one more thing to my already, hectic life?

Advent, for me, is not about guilt as much as it is recognizing that even though I know the story so well, there is always a surprise waiting this year. Advent says even if I know the path to Bethlehem and can get there without my GPS/with my eyes closed, I am a different person this year. Or there may be a new side road to Bethlehem that I did not notice when I was traveling in 2010. Advent proclaims even if I go down the same path, even if it feels like I am standing in last year's straw with the same old shepherds, there will still be a serendipitous, sacred moment that I could miss if I am on autopilot.

I encourage you this Advent to be intentional, to be prayerful in preparing. The church I serve this Sunday (November 20, 2011) will be offering a devotional tied to things you are already planning to do that will hopefully help you notice the sacred and traces of God's grace all around you. It will also be posted to our website: www.janesvilleucc.org

Most of all, I pray in the marathon blur between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, you will find moments of peace and signs of hope and most of all traces of God's grace and love all around you.

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving

Stirring and Swirling Spirit

2011-11-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Something is supposed to happen at church when we gather. Maybe it is not as life changing, earth shattering and disorienting as Acts 2:1-13 makes church out to be. But the movement of God's presence in our midst when we gather as a community of faith holds the promise that something should, could, might just happen every time we gather.

Acts 2 is the quintessential church beginning/birthday narrative. We read it on Pentecost every single year, which is celebrated 50 days after Easter. Perhaps reading it in the sanctuary is not the most appropriate place to read this passage. Pentecost is about God working outside the church: in our homes and in our lives. Maybe on Pentecost we would be better to gather as small groups in people's homes, read this passage, sit in silence and share where we've noticed traces of God's grace in our life since Easter morning.

Pentecost connects to John 1:14: the Word became flesh and lived (or better yet, 'lives') among us'. Pentecost connects to Genesis 1:1 where the Spirit of God surfed over the chaos of creation and started moving in new ways. Pentecost is a Red Sea moment where the disciples passed through the parted waters from relying on Jesus to tell them physically where to go and what to do to relying on the Spirit to help guide them where to go, what to do and believe. That transition was not easy (read the rest of Acts and you'll find some of the most gut-wrenching church arguments).

In some ways as people of faith we still live in the messy middle, transition of Pentecost. It remains difficult to truly rely on the Spirit because it awakens a variety of responses and explanations. I can feel led to try new worship formats that others find too jarring and not helpful. Where is the Spirit at then? Usually, we see this as a zero sum game. The Spirit needs to choose a side. Either I was 'right' to try the new format or the person who found it less than filled with God's presence was 'right'.

Yet, Pentecost proclaimed that God's realm isn't a zero sum game. We can perceive the Spirit each in our own language. Which makes it messy and hard to know what to do next. What we tend to do next is exactly what is recorded in verse 13 when those who wondered what in the world was going on, decided the explanation that made the most sense was that the disciples were 'full of new wine.' I think that is one of the funniest lines in all of scripture and it makes me smile every time.

We do that today. When someone has an experience outside what our heart or mind can comprehend, we try to explain it away. When someone holds a different perspective than our own, we try to find loopholes in their logic. Yet, at the same time, we know that our own experiences are far from fully understood. We know that our own perspectives have their own leaps of logic larger than the Grand Canyon.

This is where I prayerfully think the church can be a visible light to the world. By showing that people can be honest and listen with open hearts to each other. If you keep reading after the new wine comment, Peter doesn't demonize those who said the sarcastic comment. He preaches a sermon about God's presence and invites dialogue.

In my hope and prayer for the church, we strive to do the same. To have that kind of dialogue would certainly be a trace of God's grace and even a prayerful living out of the Pentecost story in our midst today. Who knows how the Spirit might stir and swirl; what kind of new creation and connections might be formed; and even the way we might re-discover what it means to be the church.

On this rainy, wind swirling day as I write these words, I pray you will notice God's presence in such a way so as to connect with a hope, peace, joy and love that is real and makes a difference for today and for countless days to come.

Blessings and peace

Waiting

2011-11-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the words of Acts 1 have been roaming around your heart and mind over the last week. Hopefully those words have even settled in and unpacked like welcomed house guest.

Here is what I find so compelling about the beginning of Acts: the disciples have to wait. Essentially, they are ready to go. In verse 6, they question when God's kingdom, or realm, is going to be fully realized/fully present in their midst. You sense that the expectation is soon...very soon...like get out your calendars and mark the date kind of soon.

Jesus responded by essentially saying, don't worry about that. And instead told them to wait.

Now, if you are ready for something to happen, if you have your bags all packed ready to go, if you believe that any minute now there is going to be a dramatic, life-shifting kind of change in your life, being told to wait is heart breaking.

If you want proof of this, think about an airport. There is a buzz of activity and anticipation. Then, if the poor person working the desk of the airline has to say over the speaker the flight has been delayed, there is loud, audible groan. I have sat there in those moments and heard not only the groan, but it felt like the air escaped and the chatter around me turned from anticipation to frustration in a single second.

Being told to wait is challenging to us. We live our life so fast that coming to a sudden stop because of waiting is just plain jarring to us. It feels like whiplash. I look around and see so many people waiting.

I think about people who do not have a job, keep on applying for positions and are forced to wait for responses after interviews that set hopes soaring.
I think about people whose mortgage is in limbo, keep on making payments, but are waiting for something to shift in the housing market.
I think about those who have illnesses who wait for treatment options or wait for results of the latest tests.

There are many types of waiting. There is the "I am bored" kind of waiting when you are in the line at the grocery store or counting train cars going past your windshield. Then there is the kind of waiting that is hoping beyond hope, praying with sighs louder than words, that something is going to happen...soon...please God.

Most of us know the first type of waiting and experience it daily. But too many people experience the second kind of waiting alone. The second type of waiting drains us emotionally and physically and we question God's presence.

And for all the church's good intentions over the years to provide comfort in the form of words or logical explanations about why the second kind of waiting exists at all, we have failed to live into the response of the disciples in verses 12-14. They waited...together. Sure Peter gave a sermon in verse 15. (I too sometimes find it hard to wait quietly in a group). The point is they waited...together.

Go back to that airport example. One of the reasons why it is so hard to wait there, so frustrating isn't because of the food and stale air (although that doesn't help). It is so difficult to wait in that moment because we feel powerless. I can't fly an airplane, even if there is one sitting outside the window. I don't know how long the delay will really be. To make matters worse, even though I am surrounded by people in the same place, they are strangers, and I feel alone. Waiting alone wreaks havoc on us. Feeling like you are waiting alone even as you bump up against people daily doesn't help either.

Too many people today are waiting alone...and at the same time they bump up against others daily.

One way (certainly not the only way) of the church being the church today is to wait together. My hunch is that as the disciples waited they had potluck meals, prayed together, worshiped together, laughed and shared stories together.

At some point in trying to maintain buildings and run interesting programs and trying to be an institution, as a church we lost the indescribable, faithful invitation to be together. It doesn't solve everything, but for me it is better than the alternative of being alone.

The first story in Acts...which describes the church being the church...is to wait together. But, that isn't the only story in Acts...that is not the only way of the church being the church.

So, because this is so much fun, look at Chapter 2 verses 1-15

Read it aloud...I know it is still not easy
Circle words that cause you to smile
Underline words that bring a frown to your face

Feel free to ask questions.

Again, I will offer a few insights soon. But I believe that traces of God's grace come from your thoughts and from your heart. Happy reading...and may God's peace warm your life like the sun on an autumn day.

Blessings

The Church Being the Church

2011-10-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

What is the first image that pops into your mind when you hear the word, 'church'?

Maybe a brick building with a really tall steeple?

Maybe some one on television advocating a certain idea?

Or maybe that song from my years in Sunday School..."the church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is the people."

Church is a complicated word. It is a gathering of people. But like any gathering, at some point there has to be a purpose or a reason so that people keep gathering. Just standing around drinking decaf coffee causally chatting about the weather or the local sports team isn't going to get many people out of bed on a cold Wisconsin Sunday.

The reality is because the church is made up of people it means the gathering has individuals who are wholly/holy made in God's image who don't always/fully live out the profound truth that each person in the gathering reflects God's fingerprints.

To claim to be the church is a lofty (maybe a bit crazy) goal. Trying to sort out our purpose as followers of Christ today is hard enough. On top of that we are dealing with/trying to live out our purpose along side humans (with all the possibilities and pitfalls we bring to the table) . And on top of that there is two thousand years of history that has piled up on the table where we are gathering. That's a lot of paper work.

Given that reality, I get why people have left the church. I get why people drive past the church I serve and the church down the street or across town and think it's all the same...just different music. I get why people after hearing two pastors argue on national television, turn it off and tune out.

And yet something within me will not give up on the church as a gathering of people prayerfully trying to follow Christ. Partly that is because I am stubborn. Partly it is because given the world we live in - with all of its economic uncertainty and anger and times when it is really hard to notice traces of God's grace - I still find God's promise and presence most evident in a gathering of people.

So, how can the church be the church? I pray over the next several posts to get at that question. But before I do, I want to encourage you to get your Bible.

Go ahead...I'll wait.

Or you can try these websites: www.biblegateway.com or http://bible.oremus.org/

And if you would turn to the Book of Acts, chapter 1, verses 1 through 14.

Take time to read these words.
Read the words... aloud....I know it makes me self-conscious too
Circle words that surprise you.
Circle words that frustrate you.
Read the words aloud again

What do you take away from that?

I'll share my thoughts soon.

But for now...may the traces of God's grace be with in this season of autumn. May God's presence swirl around you like a crisp fall breeze and God's love warm you like a cup of warm tea...or hot chocolate...or coffee...or cider.

Blessings and peace

Marking Time

2011-10-19T06:28:00.001-07:00

Eight years ago this week, I became a father.

And twenty months later, I became a father again.

Even though you have nine months to prepare to welcome a baby into your life, it is unfathomable how upside down your life becomes in the span of a few weeks. Those first few sleep deprived months of my son's life were a daze. You hold in your hands this vulnerable baby and the enormity of raising, shaping, caring for a life weights on your heart. The gospels tell us that Jesus came to us in the form of a baby. As much as we sing about a Silent Night and Holy Night when Jesus Away in a Manger, 'no crying he made,' there was an enormity of caring for Jesus that sat on the shoulders of Mary and Joesph that every parent can relate to.

It is too bad that the gospels don't have many stories about Jesus growing up. Luke 2:41 records a brief encounter Jesus had in the temple at age 12 with the leaders at Passover. But in some ways this is a foreshadowing of how Jesus will encounter the religious leaders at Passover when he came riding on a donkey at Palm Sunday and set in motion the holy drama of Holy Week. Luke's brief narrative ends with these words, "Jesus increased in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor." Which is a nice way of saying, he grew up.

Watching my son and daughter grow up is a blurry joy at times. Each child has a unique personality. My son is so serious at time and can be anxious about things (It is great when you see your own personality idiosyncrasies reflected in your child). He has a great sense of humor... that I don't always understand. My daughter is care free and has the ability to enjoy life deeply (It is great when you see personality idiosyncrasies you'd like to have reflected in your child). And every morning she has a slow....motion....mode...that...seems...to....take...for...ever...to...get... out...the...door...to...get...to...school.

Celebrating my son's birthday this week helped me realize that birthdays are a way we mark time. Both the passage of time as well as what is to come. My son already talks about when he can learn to drive a car or sit in the front seat. I am not someone who wants to pause time. I realize you cannot capture or contain moments in a bottle. I try my best to immerse myself in the moment, the joy of the moment. Even last night when I am standing on a hill freezing and can't feel my fingers from the cold watching my son play flag football. But, it takes practice to immerse myself in the moment. I can get caught up in looking back or looking forward. Marking time is less about the calendar than it is about noticing fully the present moment.

So, as the autumn air turns crisp around us. As more and more leaves swirl in the breeze, may you find ways to mark time in a way that opens you to traces of God's grace all around you. Blessings and peace and happy 8th birthday to my son!

Vacation

2011-10-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

What would be your perfect vacation destination? If you had asked me that question a few months ago, I would have described some Emerson-like cabin in the secluded woods away from cell phones and noise and crowds. I would have waxed poetic about the joys of leisurely reading books or rowing in a canoe on a calm river. It would be peaceful and relaxing...at least in my imagination.

But last week I found another spot that was surprisingly filled with traces of God's grace.

Disney World.

It was not exactly the place I thought I would encounter God's presence. Amid dancing dolls from around the world singing, "It's a small world" or riding rides or standing in a line waiting for Buzz Lightyear's autograph. But there was a deep joy and peacefulness even in the midst of the crowds and the occasional crying child and being constantly on the go for ten plus hours each day.

Part of that joy and peace was discovered as I saw my daughter's eyes light up when she saw the Disney princesses or when my son became a "Jedi" defeating Darth Vader. Spending time with my family for one whole week was truly the best and my favorite part.

Part of that joy and peace was being in a place where happiness radiates. Walking down Main St. in the Magic Kingdom and seeing people wave at you is strangely refreshing. It gives you hope that the people who bicker on the nightly news might just be the ones living in a fairy tale land and that there is something about the human condition that can connect us to each other with a simple wave. Seeing people from around the country and the world gather together to share in the experience is renewing. It is a powerful witness to our need as humans to play and laugh together. Hearing my kids laugh was good for my soul. Eating ice cream on hot days was good for my soul. And sharing in the experience was good for my soul.

To be sure, coming back to the 'real' world is a bit of an adjustment. People no longer randomly wave at me. The streets are not as clean. And there is no catchy tune constantly playing in the background.

Part of vacation is to get away. To live another way. Part of vacation is to realize that our bodies and souls and emotional well being need Sabbath rest every week. Now, I am not one who think we will ever go back to everything being closed on Sundays with Blue Laws...as though Sunday is the only day for Sabbath. But I am one who believes that the pace of our culture and our lives today is unsustainable. Our constant on the go, busyness is wreaking havoc on us. The demands we place on our bodies, the food we feed our bodies because of our schedules and the stress and illness are pervasive. While every drug company promises us they have the magic pill to keep us going...medication alone will not make everything all better.

Part of my challenge is to not be (as Kirk Bryon Jones says) so addicted to hurry. So caught up in my own self importance and need to control that I miss the fact I was away from the church for a week and the church survived. The church of Jesus Christ will survive...it did so for thousands of years before me and will for thousands of years after me. Sabbath time is not just about collapsing after a frenzy paced day. Sabbath time is not just a convenient way of saying you don't want to do something.

Sabbath is at the core an affirmation that God is God...and you are not. God's grace is what sustains us...not the work of our hands. God's love is what fills us....not what we get at the Apple Store. God's presence is what is meaningful. Sabbath opens our eyes...even in places we were not sure we would discover the traces of God's grace. May that kind of Sabbath time be found in your life this week and every week.

Blessings

Fully Formed

2011-09-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Recently I have found myself frustrated by the choices I've made. I have said some things in retrospect I wish I had not said...done some things in retrospect I wish I had not done. To be sure this is not a new situation for a human to find himself or herself in. I think Paul said it best in Romans chapter 7:15

Yes. I'm full of myself - after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. The Message

Most of us prefer the language of mistake to sin. Most of us try really hard to cover up our mistakes rather than publicly tout them. Most of us find it hard to look at the reflect staring back at us in the mirror and see that we are: fully formed, unconditionally loved, and surrounded with unceasing grace.

We see the mistakes...or sins.

We see those moments our mouth gets ahead of our brain...a problem I have. We see those moments we laugh at the expense of another...or always make myself out to the bumbling butt of every joke. We see the shortcomings. That is important to be honest. We are not perfect.

What makes the good news so GOOD is that God sees our worst, our warts, AND our gifts, the time we get it right. God sees the moments I lose my temper AND when the moments when my energy is so low but by God's grace I sit down and play a game with my kids rather than zone out watching TV. God sees us as fully formed, because that is the promise of the beginning. We are created in the image of God. Not just a small part of us commonly called a 'soul'. All of us. To be fully formed is the promise we celebrate at baptism. This small child with drips of water running down her forehead is fully claimed, loved and formed to living into God's presence around her and within all of her. Our hands, hearts, heads, feet, voice, our laugh, our off-key, rhythmic challenged way I sway to hymns...all of that God sees as fully formed.

Often what happens for me is I get out of sync and in those moments I am not living into, living out the whole identity God formed and calls me to be. When I start stressing too much about tomorrow rather than trusting that manna (Exodus 16) will be there. When I start over planning for five years down the road rather than noticing God's presence and promise right here and right now. When I start seeing the glass half empty and thinking ONLY I can get it filled again. I am not living into that fully formed promise of God.

I don't think the goal of life is that I get it right all the time. But maybe I can notice when I am relying too much on myself and not enough on the traces of God's grace in my life. Maybe I can help people see the water level in that proverbial glass for what is: not as full as it could be, but full of God's presence and life and love nevertheless. Maybe by leaning into life, I won't stop all my mistakes but see them as part of the profound truth that I am fully formed.

May the truth and promise that you are fully formed lead you to lean into life and notice the graces traces this day.

Blessings

Lessons from Golf

2011-09-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last summer I took up the game of golf. It has at once been one of the most joyful and difficult things I've done. It never ceases to amaze me how much the rhythm of golf teaches me about life. For example I have learned from golf:

1). Relax...if you are shoulders are tense the chance of you hitting a bad shot go up enormously. Likewise, when I go into an event, experience, worship service or meeting feeling all the weight of the world on my shoulders my words slice off like a golf ball right into the woods.

2). Look around. The whole point of golf in the upper Midwest is you get to be outside. That may sound a bit strange to our friends in the south...but winter here can drag on and on and on. Golf gets you outside and often with friends. Enjoy the shade of the tree or the warmth of the sun on your face, enjoy the laughter and someone else to smile and cheer when you sink a putt or stand silently by when you shank a shot...that is all part of leaning into life.

3). Practice...practice...practice. I've l;earning that golf is a game of training your body to move in a certain way and getting comfortable with that. It takes time. What surprises me about this learning is how often people expect to come into church after a whole week of living one way and expect that an hour will change all of that. It is like me expecting to go out once a month and hit a whole in one.

I was recently reminded of a great quote from To Kill a Mockingbird where the main character says, 'I can't live my life one way in my house and other way outside my house.' We can't live our life one way on Monday morning and a complete opposite way on Sunday morning. It just doesn't work. Sunday morning is practice. Which when you think of it is completely odd. Not many of us sing to organ music on Tuesday afternoon or pick up the Bible or listen to a sermon during the week. But maybe we should!

If every day was practice for Sunday morning...maybe our Sunday morning would feel, sound and be more meaningful and aware of the grace traces of God all around us.

Blessings

Lean into Life

2011-09-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

So often today we struggle trying to make sense of the blur we call "life". This is most profoundly true at the extreme times.

Someone we love dies

We lose our job

We are offered another job, better pay and we have to sort all that out if we want to leave our current job

We notice that a significant relationship in our life either suddenly changed or over the last several years has slowly changed in such a way that we no longer recognize it

To be sure such rough, rocky times in life we might find what helps us through is a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Or perhaps for others something even more addictive or even destructive. I recently heard we are the most overweight, addicted, medicated, in-debt adult Americans.

We are trying to find joy, meaning, hope, peace, maybe even numb the pain, in some way. So, the new pair of shoes are great and you get lots of compliments the first time you wear them. Only a month later to see the scuff marks and your friends praising someone else for her new hat. Or your new cell phone amazes your friends out at the bar...until something else comes along.

It is important not to suffer from historical amnesia. This didn't happen over night. This didn't happen because of 'young people' today...who honestly shoulder too much of the blame. And adults who utter such a phrase should be more aware their behavior was the model as those 'young people' grew up!

What drugs (prescribed or not), alcohol, gambling, food, football, shopping, and other experiences can do when we turn to them time and time again. When we act like the whole reason for life is that particular item or thing or event is actually numb the way we experience life. Have a hard day, stop off at the bar like Cheers or perhaps the coffee shop like Friends.

What we struggle to do is lean into life. To lean into the difficulty we are having at work. To ask ourselves if there is something of God's presence even in that struggle. When we self-medicate, it clouds our emotions and thought process. To lean into the difficulty is not the way I live my life. But it is the way I long to live. I long to be someone who keeps his eyes open even when I am not sure what I am looking for. I long to be someone who trusts in God even in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).

Yet, others tell me, why bother? Advertisers tell me an Ipad 2 will help me feel cool. Or the new McCafe will relax me even as my kids run around screaming. Still others we see shrink or run away from the problems.

Leaning into life, all of life, is where we encounter God most profoundly. It does not always work out. Sometimes we lean into the pain and feel more pain. However, I have yet to find a time though when the pint of Ben and Jerry's was truly, honestly a better escape than actually feeling, noticing, and opening myself to all the present moment.

I pray you and I will have the strength to lean into life....and that we will notice traces of God's grace in those, all those, moments.

Tell me a Story

2011-09-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

We live through stories. If you want to know more about someone get her to tell you a story. It is how we communicate our deepest feelings, hopes, the way we see our self, and countless other details.

Stories, most often, come straight out of our experiences.

I can tell you the story of how I met my wife.

I can tell you the story of the first time I saw my son and daughter.

I can tell you the story from a summer vacation.

The list goes on and on.

Because we make sense of our life through stories that come out of our experiences, it is very difficult not to get caught up in thinking, acting, believing that our stories and our experiences are the only truth.

I'll tell you a story. I was visiting with someone the other day who told me a story about a visitor who came over from England and was amazed that people in our countries had actual lots their houses sat on. The person then went over to England and saw first hand row houses and how confining that was compared to Midwest housing development. That story effects how I see my own house and my community.
Or the story of a young man who went to Nicaragua and saw first hand the mixture of poverty and pain and deep joy of a young child's face. It changed his life. And his story is now woven into my story and expands (if I let it) how I see the world.

Our experiences and stories are at once powerful and profound; as well as limited given the diversity of our world.

Growing up in the Midwest gave me a particular way of processing things. I would be different if I grew up in the South. Growing up in a lower middle class home gave me a particular way of seeing the world. I would be different if I grew up in a different economic bracket. Growing up white, male, and heterosexual continues to impact what I view and believe is normal. Growing up on the 80s on a steady diet of the Smurfs has certainly shaped my understanding of the world.

Now, to be sure, I don't preface every story I tell with the above list of disclaimers. But the stories I tell are shaped because of who I am, where I am and when I was born.

The stories you tell both proclaim truth and don't quite fully hit the nail on the head for all times and places. The stories you tell both proclaim who you are...to the extent that you choose to tell some stories while keeping others to yourself. The stories you tell are both sacred and could use some fact checking.

When I say the Bible is a sacred, holy story, I mean that in the most honest sense I can. It points us to deep truths of who God and Jesus and the Spirit were and are. It points us to the promise of God. It points us to the reality that humans can be incredibly faithful one moment and making a golden calf to dance around the next moment. Are there contradictions? Sure. So too in the stories I tell every day. Does it make you or I any less trustworthy? Does it make us dishonest people? Should we leave stories behind because they not always perfect? I don't think so. It makes us fully human and fully created in God's image. I believe God loves a good story God delights not in dissecting the details of a story, but in the flow and connections and pain and joy and truth stories point to. God delights when we talk about a fish this big or the vacation where the suitcases got lost or the time we were driving to Des Moines, IA.

Which reminds me of a story....

May the traces of grace be heard and found in the stories you share and listen to this day.

Blessings

Fully Formed

2011-08-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

What does a fully formed Christian look like?

That is one of those questions that can raise all sorts of responses.

The first might be a bit of a defensive one. You might wonder if we can ever be fully a Christian? After all, none of us are perfect. Even on our best days we make mistakes and missteps. The Apostle Paul once wrote, 'why do I do the things I don't want to do and leave undone the things I wish to do.' Call it the human condition to look in a mirror dimly and think we can make out the faint shadow of a wart. And because this is a difficult question to answer, we might be tempted to simply shrug our shoulders and say, 'Well, since I can never be fully Christians...why bother?'

And yet, for me, this question will not go away.

My second response is a more analytical one. Stroking the beard on my chin, I begin to wax eloquent about, 'what does it mean to be a Christian? A follower of Jesus to be sure, but what might that look like...perhaps I should check out a book.' In this way, I seek to sidestep the question by pleading ignorance, that I need more information. If I just read one more book or take one more class or go to church just a few more weeks.

And yet, for me, this question will not go away.

My third response is to be more open. To realize that the reason why this question will not go away is not because it is too hard to answer or live out or that I need more knowledge. The truth is this question will not go away because it sits in my gut like a dessert from the Cheesecake Factory.

To be a fully formed Christian starts with an affirmation that I am fully formed by God who knows me fully and loves me fully and calls me to be fully myself. It is not my deficiencies, many though they are, that inhibits me from being fully a Christian; what stops me most often from living fully into God's presence all around me is focusing too much on those deficiencies or too much on trying to be in control, do things my way.

To be a fully formed Christian starts with God. God's grace and love and presence. That is enough. But because of that presence it does awaken a response from me. Because of God's grace and love and presence it leads me to honest prayer, to open scripture, to join in worship with singing and listening and being still. Because of God's grace and love and presence it leads me to be more just and be careful in how I act toward my wife, kids, and those I bump up against each day. Because of God's grace and love and presence it calls me out of my comfort zone and narrow bubble of life into God's world that has problems and pain that needs a human, in the flesh, response.

Jesus is the in the flesh response from God that reminds us of what life, true life looks, sounds, feels and can be. Jesus is the in the flesh response from God that calls us to just relationships with others. Jesus is the in the flesh response from God that is the promise of each day.

To be sure, prayer and worship and serving don't make me fully formed Christian. God claimed me as such with the waters of baptism and I taste that promise every time I drink from the cup at communion. Prayer and worship and serving are the visible responses to God's presence. Yet, I need to be careful not to put the proverbial cart before the horse. Keeping the perspective and to keep wrestling with this question.

I ask you, what does a fully formed Christian look like?

May you notices traces of God's grace in your life this day and throughout the days to come.

Blessings

Hope

2011-08-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hope is one of those fragile words. Like it's cousins, love and trust, there are countless stories that teach us of both the power of hope and the jagged edge that can leave a scar from the experience of broken hope. And like it's cousins, love and trust, we can turn hope into an all or nothing, zero sum game.

Like a child on the high dive trembling before the glassy surface of the water, not knowing how far down she will sink when she hits the water and whether she will come up. Hope, like its cousins love and trust, is a deep end word. We feel like we either hope or we don't. We either embrace and immerse ourselves fully in hope or we distrust and even despair. We either embody hope or we sound like one of those blogs on either side of the political spectrum forecasting doom and gloom for you, your family, the country and the world.

Let's face it. It is not as though what we hear around us today helps fan the flame of hope. Just this week London riots, the stock market roller coaster, political bickering and blame as the fall out over the debt ceiling...hope seems to have taken a vacation to some secluded, secret, off-the-grid location...and doesn't seem to have plans to return anytime soon.

So, when as a pastor, I use the word "hope" (like it's cousins love and trust), I realize that I am on thin ice. Our experience with hope is checkered. As a kid we might 'hope' we get something for our birthday or Christmas. As a kid I remember the joy of opening the He-Man action figure I had begged my parents for. And as I kid there were moments when what I hoped for went forever unwrapped.

As adults our hopes move (somewhat) from material items to more ethereal dreams. Hopes for peace, for our children to be healthy and happy in their life, hopes for healing of a relationship or our bodies. To be honest, most of my hopes are for that which is outside my control.

And in the end, that is what makes hope so fragile. Hopes for peace or for happiness or for joy depend not solely on either myself or entirely on others, but on a messy combination of the two that seemingly can shift from one day to the next. Sure, we can try to be Zen-like in response to our hopes inside us or to the effects of the outside world on the hope we feel. But try doing that when your child is pitching a fit and you hope it will stop.

Since we cannot manufacture hope or mass product its cousins love and trust, where does that leave us? For the cynic or skeptic, hope is a word to be held at arms length and approached with all the affection of radio-active material. Yet, I cannot do that. Hope that today can be better than yesterday is at the heart of my relationship with God. But better not in terms of what's in my wallet or my stock portfolio or my health. But hope that by God's grace and guidance there is more to the future than what I can consume or understand or experience. To give up on hope for me would be like giving up on breathing.

So, as fragile as hope may be today the alternative pales in comparison. When I remember how central hope is to my faith I notice a trace of God's grace that sustains me and strengths me. God's presence is what keeps hope alive. God's presence, not the nightly news or surfing the net or even unwrapping a present, is what keeps hope alive.

So may traces of God's grace surround you this week and may it help fan the flame of hope in a way that is real and can be felt.

Blessings

When Words Become Stories

2011-07-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

One of the problems people of faith face is how to convey what faith is. While scientists have a whole method or mathematicians have lots of formulas, the grounding of faith is words. Or more specific, the Word or scripture. Over time pastors have spilled lots of ink into sermons and newsletter articles and now blogs to try to capture and cultivate faith. Here is the problem. Words are intellectual by their nature. You are reading these words on your computer screen and it engages the part of your brain that likes to think. You begin to think about whether what you are reading makes sense, where I am being unclear, or where my words fall short or even fail.

For many, many years (beginning with the Enlightenment) pastors thought if we could just come up with the right combination of words it would unlock the right synapse in people's brains and everyone would believe. In short, for far too long, pastors tried to prove faith.
As my son likes to say...there is one small problem with that.

You can't prove faith.

You can experience a sensation in your gut that says there is something going on here that is bigger or deeper than what you can explain.

You can experience goose bumps on your arms or the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

You can experience the hug of a fellow disciple on the Way that reassures you.

To be honest, that doesn't really prove faith. It does not prove that God exists. It does not prove anything...other than you had a meaningful, life giving, life changing experience.

In the end, that is what faith is...a meaningful, life giving and life changing experience. It is something that happens to you that forever, profoundly shapes how you understand and tell your story about who you are.

Here is my invitation. For one week listen to how people tell stories. In the stories you hear from your co-work, is he always the hero who swoops in at the last second like Mighty Mouse ("Here I come to save the day!")? How about that person you volunteer beside. Is she always the one who makes the mistake?

Then, if you really want a challenge, listen to how you tell stories about yourself.

I am prone to always be the bumbling person...even though in truth I work very, very hard to NOT make mistakes. What does that say that the stories I tell about myself tend to be self-effacing?

But what, the logical part of your brain interrupts, does all this have to do with faith? GREAT question. I think that at the most basic level faith is experienced and shared and conveyed through story. In a few weeks, we are going to be studying the book of Exodus, which is the quintessential story. It has everything. Drama, love, death, grumbling, wandering, miracles. No wonder The Ten Commandments made a great movie.

When we stop trying to play by the world's rules that things have to be logical and rational and always make sense, I think we open the door for the church to be the church. Life is not logical and rational and doesn't always make sense. Life is sometimes joyful like ice cream on a summer evening. Life is sometimes difficult like when you lose your job. or a person you love dies And the way we live life is through stories. So, listen this week to the stories you hear. Not just on the news or in novels, but from those who brush up against in your life.

And you may just notice traces of grace in the stories you hear and share.

Blessings and peace

Helping Hand

2011-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (NRSV)

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him Matthew 14:31

I have never enjoyed swimming. Most any other activity I can get into. But something about water freaks me out. So I completely understand why when Peter started sinking down,
when the water went above his knees
when he was chest deep
when the white form of the waves hit his face.

He cried out for HELP!

More specifically, Peter cried out to be saved.

There is a difference between being saved and asking for help. And it is more than just splitting syntax hairs. A helping hand is what we experienced at the church this week. On Monday as the humidity hovered and hung in the air like a wet blanket, about 10 of us gathered to start painting a mural in the education wing. The fans pushed around the warm air, but there was a sweet spirit in the air as we talked with each other, cracked jokes, and awoken our inner artist. It was the church being the church. We were lending a helping hand.

Contrast that to the scripture passage. Peter cries out to be saved. In Christianity today we have turned salvation into an individualistic endeavor. It is about me and Jesus. Me and my own future. Me and myself...thank you very much. Within scripture salvation is always communal. The book of Acts talks about the earliest church coming together, eating together, sharing together and being at peace, finding wholeness in life together. (see Acts 2:43-47).

Peter might be out there by himself. But salvation comes, peace and wholeness comes, when he gets back in the boat with the rest of the disciples. Peter's fear subsides when he is back in the boat with the rest of the disciples. Worship of Jesus comes when they are all in the boat proclaiming Jesus as "The Son of God."

What would it mean to think of salvation in less individualistic ways? For me, it means being more engaged in the church, the community of faith. To be involved with others in talking about the faith, praying together, questioning together, and sharing life with each other.

Let's go a little deeper. We are humans and make mistakes in our communal life. We will say things that hurt each other. Forget to do what we promised. Miss meetings...get caught up in arguments. But, there are traces of grace that can only be found in the church. A potluck meal for one is not a potluck. We need each other. Mistakes in our life together on the Way can either cause division or an opportunity for forgiveness, reconciliation, resurrection and new life to shine through.

I sense God working through the church to bring about wholeness and life that is life and peace that is salvation. Being in a community striving to follow Jesus can save us from fear to trust that love is real. Being in a community striving to follow Jesus can save us from thinking we are all alone out there to experiencing first hand the warmth of another close by. Being in a community striving to follow Jesus can save us from thinking that there are only storms and suffering and sinking down in life... to experiencing the beauty of singing and laughing and painting hallways together. God works through the church, the community of faith to help save the world that God so loves. And being in the boat with other disciples is the helping hand reminding me of the bigger and outlandish claim of God's saving work here and now.

May the traces of God's grace be felt in your life.

Blessings,
Wes