For many years Ruth, my wife, has made the bread for communion in congregations where I have served and she has been a member. It began when she had a modest baking business and it bothered her that "the body of Christ" was represented in miniscule cubes of Wonder Bread. The bread she makes is aromatic, substantial, whole grain bread, cut in pieces large enough to have the sensory sensation of taste. The communion coordinator here at Bridge St. was delighted when the subject was broached.
Why then was I little unsettled to hear about the "rainbow" bread at a communion service celebrating Minnesota becoming the twelfth US state to sanction same-gender marriage? The congregation is mostly young adults and takes an edgy, alternative approach to worship and life together. It's pastor is Jay Bakker, son of disgraced TV evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye -- remember them? He was disillusioned with religion for a time but has returned with this alt approach in a congregation called Revolution.
Once I got over the initial jolt I made my peace with their choice. I would much rather hear about a faith community of young adults using unusual symbols to express their Christian faith than listen to older adults bemoaning the disappearance of their own children and grandchildren from the church.
Don't worry, I won't try to persuade Ruth to get out the food colouring when she makes the bread for communion this week.
What do you think, or more importantly, what do you feel? Is this a sacrilege, or a bold and meaningful statement of inclusion in Christ? Would you be able to swallow this symbolically, literally and figuratively? There are teens and other young adults who read this blog. What are your opinions?
You have at least a vague idea of what today's blog header refers to, don't you? In the ancient church Christians heroically stayed true to their faith, even though it meant being thrown to the wild beasts for sport. Christians would hide out in the catacombs of ancient Rome for worship to avoid persecution. Out of these stories grew the concept of "red martyrdom," bearing witness to Christ even though the consequence was a gruesome death. Christians were the first to use the Greek word martys to denote those killed for faith.
What if this just wasn't true, or at least not accurate in its severity? There is a new book called The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom by Candida Moss. In it she argues that the martyrs were few and far between, and that there was a greater tolerance of Christians by the Romans than we have been led to believe. Moss acknowledges widespread animosity toward Christians in the ancient world. But the Romans effectively punished disloyalty from any group, including but not exclusively Christians. Moss figures that many of the stories were amplified, embellished, or just made up. It may be that Christians were persecuted in particular periods and locales, but not universally.
I was a bit surprised by this, and not everyone agrees with her thesis. As I ponder it, though, I realize that my Christian faith is not predicated on the persecution of Christians in another era. I am more concerned about the Christians who suffer for their faith today. I think of Iraqi Christians who were pushed out of their homeland into Syria in the past decade, only to suffer again in the terrible civil war which we hear about daily. But even in these circumstances it is a matter of solidarity rather than glorification.
I do trust that Stephen, Paul, and of course Jesus himself suffered and died for their faithfulness. I don't doubt that the Revelation of John was born out of persecution. I can also accept that martyrdom didn't shape the early church quite the way we might have imagined.
Have you ever pondered all this? Does it really matter to you?
Come, Holy Spirit Come
Come as the wind, and cleanse us.
Come as the fire,
and burn;
Come as water, and refresh.
Convict, convert,
and consecrate
That we may be truly
yours.
During my first couple of weeks at Bridge St. I have been almost (but not quite) overwhelmed by the volume of meetings related to the new governance model which was adopted on a trial basis earlier this year. We have agreed that I will need a while to get "up to speed" but I really like what I'm hearing and seeing.
This model anticipates that committees and teams do their work within their parameters and job descriptions without everything then funneling through the board, which in many systems acts as a "committee of the whole."
The Governance Board is not made up of representatives of other groups, but it given the task of setting the mission and vision for the congregation and informing others of what that will be. The minister is given a fair amount of responsibility, but also authority, and expected to provide practical spiritual leadership. Everyone at every level is accountable to reflect the mission, and the budget is struck to support that mission. At least this is how I see it so far!
I am very impressed by the individual, Ian, who is coaching the congregation through this, and all those who are working their way through what is a significant departure from anything done here before. I have read about this Carver Model for years and it has intrigued me. I haven't heard of any congregation that has put it into practice.
I am hoping and praying that the Holy Spirit we celebrate today is swirling in our midst and we are doing more than babbling in foreign tongues. The Pentecost story tells us that chaos sparked courage, then clarity as the early church discovered its mission. Come Holy Spirit Come!
Comments?
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34
What part of this don't we understand? Both the older and newer Testaments of our Christian bible give both direct instruction and offer stories about welcoming the stranger. But it often proves challenging for us. We live with our own forms of "stranger danger" phobia. What if the stranger has different values? What if the immigrants begin to take over and rob us of jobs? What if they prove to be violent? Even though we often celebrate our newcomer, immigrant forebearers, we aren't necessarily ready to give the benefit of the doubt to strangers in our midst.
The blog header today is a direct steal from a recent New York Times article and a paraphrase of Jesus' "love your neighbour as yourself" directive. In the United States immigration reform is a huge issue at the moment and once again the political conservatives want to keep out the "furreners," or send them back, even though in states where draconian laws have been instituted it has resulted in unpicked crops and other economic woes.
The article points out that evangelical Christians have been changing their viewpoint on immigration which was often in lockstep with conservative political views. It is a combination of religious enlightenment and pragmatism. Many Latino immigrants are evangelical Christians, although lots of them try to distance themselves from conservative values. For them God isn't a Republican. To be fair, a growing number of Republican leaders have changed their views on immigration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/opinion/sunday/love-thy-immigrant-stranger-as-thyself.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
What are your thoughts about this? As Canadians are we also inclined to fear of the stranger? What do you think about the situation in the United States?
A friend who is resourceful and clever with his hands told us recently that when he retires he plans to build his own casket and another for his wife. I know he can do so from the standpoint of craftsmanship and I applaud his willingness to use this opportunity to ponder his own mortality. I told him that he could probably start a business for those who want a simpler alternative. I like the look of the one in the photo.
His comments made me think of a story I read earlier this year of a 54-year-old man who was buried in the casket he made. He was unemployed and sick and didn't want to burden his elderly parents with the costs of his funeral. So he put together his own burial box.
Both our friend and the fellow in the story are and were Christians, so probably receive comfort from the resurrection promise. Everyone dies though, and even the prettiest casket can't mask that eventuality. If our friend does build his own I'll have to ask whether it is a meditative exercise, or whether he just chooses not to go too far down that road.
A number of years ago I went on retreat at a Benedictine monastery in New Brunswick and one of the elderly brothers had just died. One of the other monks built his simple casket and it sat at the front of the chapel for three days, all through the worship offices. It did make me think about death, but not in a morbid way. It was actually quite comforting in its simplicity.
Are you "creeped out" at the notion of someone building his or her own coffin? Are you reasonably reconciled to your own demise? Would you be okay with a home-made casket, or even prefer it?
It's Pentecost this Sunday. What about the Jewish roots and expression of this feast day? http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2013/05/first-fruits-of-pentecost.html
You know me folks. I'm not big on the theme of forgiveness. Ha. I do keep harping on it, don't I? Of course the powerful symbol of the cross in our Christian faith representing Christ's forgiving, transforming love is central. As a pastor so many conversations with folk have come down to forgiveness experienced and not experienced, as well as extended and withheld.
Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu has just been awarded the Templeton Prize for 2013, the most significant award in the field of spirituality and religion. It is worth 1.7 million US dollars, which ain't chump change. http://www.templetonprize.org/currentwinner.html
The prize is for Tutu's work through the decades in the area of practical forgiveness, in response to the evil of apartheid in South Africa. The announcement included these thoughts about Tutu:
His deep faith and commitment to prayer and worship provides the foundation for his message of love and forgiveness. He has created that message through extensive contemplation of such profound "Big Questions" as "Do we live in a moral universe?" and "What is humanity's duty to reflect and live God's purposes?"
What are your thoughts about Desmond Tutu? How is forgiveness going for you these days? Do you feel loved and forgiven in Christ?
If the insurance industry is paying attention to climate change, why don't governments? Click on this link to my Groundling blog http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-bottom-line-on-climate-change.html
Most beautiful woman in the world. Sexiest woman on the planet. One half of the most glamorous couple on earth. Hyperbole? There is no doubt that Angelina Jolie made the transition from raw and bad young actress, to regal and elegant in the realm of beautiful people. After her announcement yesterday she has entered another small but significant group of women, those who have undergone double mastectomies. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?_r=0
Jolie's willingness to be forthright about this surgery is important in a culture where certain unrealistic expectations for physical beauty affect women of all ages. We have considered at other times in this blog the relentless pressure on girls and women to be desirable and to meet impossible standards for body size and shape. Breasts are certainly part of that image.
I'm not really sure what to offer from a Christian perspective and as a man. I read the gospel stories of Jesus' acceptance of women, including those who were objectified and ostracized. Some of them chose to step out of the shadows and stereotypes to be recognized as persons of worth.
Perhaps Brangelina will now stand for Brave Angelina. I certainly think it required considerable courage to "go public."
There are several readers who have tween and teen daughters. What was your reaction to this news? Will you speak with your daughters? Any other thoughts from men and women readers?
Don't forget my Groundling Blog! http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2013/05/al-gores-future.html
