Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sly as a mother hen-Luke 13:31-35

A new week, and a new spiritual discipline, this week, journaling. As I laid out the plan for this Lent, the link between this week's scripture and sermon and this week's spiritual discipline was the weakest, but its still a good spiritual discipline. If you find yourself writing anything particularly profound, feel free to post it here.

by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mother_hen_with_chicks02.jpg

 Good morning! I hope that this finds you well. It is, as always, a joy to worship with you.

We’re thinking this morning and throughout the season of Lent about the ways in which we find both challenge and comfort in our lives, and in our relationship with God-looking for the things we hold on to, and how we practice letting go.

There is a little bit of this energy in our scripture text this morning from the book of Luke, but I think it deserves a bit of unpacking first, because

this is an odd little text-it’s a quick little story, without most of the obvious punchlines that often accompany Jesus’ stories where something gets turned upside-down, or some villain gets their comeuppance.

But I think it also provides a revealing insight into Jesus’ life, as well as a useful lesson for us.

First, this story serves as a reminder for us-something that often slips through the cracks in Christianity- Jesus was not very different, theologically or politically, than his primary antagonists. Christianity has a long and dark history of anti-Semitism, blaming Jewish people for the death of Jesus, accusing them of secretly running the world, but not only is it morally bankrupt to hold people responsible for actions of 2000 years ago, but it doesn’t even fit the biblical narrative-Jesus’ relationship with the Pharisees, his primary antagonists, was one of based on closeness, not distance.

Here in this text, for example, it is the Pharisees act to save Jesus’ life, just as they would often ask him to dinner to debate him, or as him questions. For most of these committed followers of God, Jesus may have been a little extreme, but most of them did not want to see Jesus killed. It is like the way that Christians can battle like cats and dogs over small differences, while being comfortable being in relationship with those from other religions. Sometimes we have kinder words for people from only a small distance away than those who are right next door. When we are in conflict with people-our fellow believers, people on the other side of the political spectrum, or the other side of family conflicts, we would always do well to always come back to the things that we have in common that bring us together, and to remember that we really do not want to win at all costs.

But what I really want to talk about this morning is the relationship Jesus expresses here in terms of power and control, because I think it is fascinating that he outfoxes the political power of Herod-outwitting the king, but acknowledging the city of Jerusalem as outside of his control, as the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.

Do you know the Serenity prayer? It’s a core prayer in Alcoholics Anonymous (which I learned from my wise social work wife this week). It goes like this:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

It seems to me, that here Jesus is embodying the serenity prayer in very unexpected ways.

So first, the courage to change the things he can: Jesus escapes from the clutches of Herod, claiming instead the journey to Jerusalem. Having been warned by his antagonists, the Pharisees, Jesus comes up with a clever plan-he has the Pharisees lie to Herod, explaining that Jesus is compelled by the Holy Spirit to stay for three more days. At the same time, he immediately will leave the region on his way to Jerusalem. He outfoxes the fox, so to speak.

When faced with institutional danger, with the unstoppable force of the state, Jesus has the courage to manipulate the system (one might even say, practice a little bit of deceit, so as to help the system function better) to preserve himself.

But he also has the serenity-well, maybe not serenity, since he is sort of whining here-but he does have the grace to accept the things that he cannot change. So he weeps over Jerusalem, because he knows that he cannot force Jerusalem to change, to accept his invitation to relationship, to love and mutual honor. He acknowledges that he cannot fold Jerusalem under his wings like a mother hen, that not all people will listen to a loving invitation. So, the rulers and their capricious wishes are but an obstacle to be avoided, but the city of Jerusalem, dominated by the military might of Rome, fated to be destroyed again and again, that city he cannot bend to his wishes, he cannot protect or control.

Similarly, think about Jesus’ animal metaphors-Herod is a fox, but in relationship to Jerusalem, he is a mother hen-while mother hens do pay attention to their chicks, in terms of protection from predators hens are not a particularly useful ally. So, Jesus here, as he does so often, claims the weaker, the servant image, even as he claims authority-that he is one who has the status to comfort Jerusalem, and his words, ‘you will not see me again until the time comes that you say blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord’ foreshadows the entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, but in that time of celebration, Jerusalem welcomes him in triumph, but is unwilling to welcome his redefinition of what it means to be king-to approach the world with open arms, rather than a closed fist.

This pattern, then is one that I think is worth our examination. We too, I think, are we faced with similar situations. When the world swirls around us, it is important to claim our own authority to change our environment, to work hard and shape our own success, but also to acknowledge both for ourselves and for those whom we interact with that there are limits to our authority and our power, and maybe it is worth remembering that even when he was claiming the courage to change his environment, and even when he was claiming the authority to watch over Israel, Jesus still modeled servant leadership, or leadership in the context of weakness.

So where might we claim the authority to dismiss the rulers of this age? And where is it worth being reminded that we cannot force anyone to love us, and come to us for comfort and support?

One of the places that I am thinking about this dynamic this Lent, where we often face this challenge, to discern between that which can be changed, and that which cannot is in the face pain or grief-its one I’ve faced from both sides. Pastors are often expected to provide care-giving for people in need, and compassion in times of grief is wonderful comfort when I am grieving. But it is also impossible to take away the cause of the suffering, to fix the sadness of the person who has lost a loved one, to make things better-which can be deeply frustrating for those who are trying to surround a grieving person with love, wishing that there might be something more profound that they can do, that they might fix the situation.

But try as we might, we cannot rush the grieving process, we cannot change those we love, we can only claim our response to the situations in which we find ourselves.

In order to practice embodying the prayer this week, I invite you to try a second spiritual discipline-the discipline of journaling. This is one way that all people can take time to think through a second time the events of life-trying to be reflective rather than just reactive, writing about both the profound and the mundane things of life so that we might better able to discern the world around us.

You’ll find seven possible journal prompts in your bulletin, but I certainly do not want to limit your imagination-let your spirit run wild, as far as I’m concerned, but I do encourage you to spend a few minutes every day writing reflections on life this week, as a part of our continued series of Lenten disciplines, as we continue to think about holding on and letting go.

And thus, we pray

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

The meaning of prayer

http://www.watton.org/clipart/prayer/prayer.shtml

Next week we'll have a new spiritual discipline to practice, I hope that the prayer of examen has proven useful to you this week. If you really like it, its a good one to keep long term.

As a closing reflection on this Spiritual discipline, I thought that I would reflect on the meaning of prayer.  In some ways, the prayer of examen is an outlier. The beginning and end are traditionally prayer like, but the self reflection in the middle is somewhat less 'God-focused' than most prayers.

Common categories of prayer include
thanksgiving-giving thanks for blessings
praise-celebrating God as God
petition-asking God for things we need
intercession-praying for other people in need
confession/forgiveness-acknowledge our sinfulness.

The prayer of examen does not fit neatly into these categories. While there is thanksgiving, and there is confession, most of the prayer is self-reflection, which is why it is a little difficult to frame it in usual 'prayer language.' 

I think this is the strength of the discipline: it is useful to remember that everything in our lives is worth holding in prayer, from our most dramatic acts of faithfulness to the most banal parts of our days.  Whatever we do, we engage the divine core of reality. So often we pray, "God your will be done" or "may your spirit guide us here" it is worth asking after we are finished, "God, was your will done?"

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Self-knowledge

Kahil Gibran-The Prophet
"And a man said, Speak to us of Self-Knowledge.
And he answered saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.
You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.

And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals."

The prayer of Examen can be thought of in a fairly clinical way-looking back over the day's events, reflecting on our behavior, making intentional the unintentional or unreflective choices that dominate our lives, asking again and again, is this the right choice?

But it is also useful, I think, to reflect on our lives in a more musical kind of way, praying with joy and sadness the complicated interweaving that is our reality, acknowledging that everything we do is filled with multiple mixed motives, that we are logical, emotional, instinctive creatures of grace, and that we can read our days in a host of different ways.

image from http://undertheeyelids.blogspot.com/2009/10/but-above-all-know-thyself.html

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The prayer of Examen is traditionally ascribed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, (1491-1556). This Spanish nobleman was seriously injured in a battle with France in 1521, and in his recuperation, he read romantic novels about the life of Christ and the saints, and felt compelled to join their ranks, so he devoted himself to prayer and fasting, traveled to the Holy Land, and sought to live a Christ-like life there. The collection of followers who gathered around him became the Jesuit monastic order, and it is in the Book of Spiritual Exercises created for that community that the prayer of examen is first found in print. For the Jesuits, praying the prayer of examen twice daily, once at noon, and once at the end of the day continues to be a core discipline.
(derived from the Catholic Encyclopedia online- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639c.htm).
If you are curious about how the Ignatians themselves teach the Examen, here is a link to their homepage, with some fascinating teaching tools.

Ignation Spirituality Homepage

Monday, February 22, 2010

http://www.daveblackonline.com/september_2007_blog_archives.htm
One way that many people make the prayer of examen more meaningful is by the use of a focal object or objects, that help to transition between the different parts of the prayer. For example, Andy Brubacher Kaethler, professor at AMBS suggests using colored stones-green for something good that happened, yellow for a person you are praying for, red for something you’re worried about, blue for the Lord’s prayer at the end.
Our faith is both mental and physical, and tying the two together through focal devices-bread and cup in communion, water in baptism, footwashing, and other devices are profound ways to deepen our connection with God.
For the prayer of examen this week, a small candle, an icon or other piece of artwork might serve as focal ideas,
And if you’re interested in a way to make the prayer more active, you could collect items that represent the day’s activities, or do a pictorial prayer of examen, drawing the day’s activities.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Prayer of Examen- Luke 4:1-13


For Lent, I'm going to be highlighting one spiritual discipline each week. This week, it is the prayer of examen.


The prayer is designed for corporate or individual use-it works great just praying back over one's day, or as a way of a family practicing talking about spirituality and God together. I hope that you find it useful. (prayer after the jump)


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday: Matthew 6:1-21

from http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/ashwednesday.htm
Today marks the beginning of Lent, the time of preparation before Easter. This year, SLMF is going to be going through a series of spiritual disciples linked up with each week's scripture focus. I'm going to use this blog to outline these disciplines, posting information on their history, various ways to practice them, and at least one post on child friendly spiritual disciplines.  I hope you enjoy.



Also, I preached this evening as part of a South City Eccumenical Ash Wednesday service this evening, and I thought I might share that sermon here for you.

Greetings, I’m pastor Samuel Voth Schrag, from the Saint Louis Mennonite Fellowship. For those of you who don’t know where we are, the Saint Louis Mennonite Fellowship is down on Chippewa, one block west of Grand. For those of you who don’t know who we are, Mennonites are Christians who believe that the Bible calls committed adult believers to join together in a focus on peace, justice, and witness, that the gospels-the story of Jesus’ life-are the core of the Christian message, and we are a denomination that carries on the Anabaptist tradition of simple living and pacifism dating back to the Protestant reformation.
It is good to gather with you this Ash Wednesday, thank you for welcoming me here.
We mark this evening, the beginning of the season of Lent, the annual time of fasting and self-reflection before the celebration of Easter.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Great minds think alike

Two of my good friends,
Dan Schreiber and Alan Stucky also reflected on Superbowl commercials. I thought I'd pass them along.
http://www.smilepolitely.com/opinion/more_super_bowl_life_lessons/
http://thewanderingroad.wordpress.com/

Budweiser

from http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/07/0726_globalbrands/source/31.htm

Reading texts is a really important part of Biblical study, which is what I spend most of my time doing. It is useful to use the techniques of careful reading on all texts, just to keep in practice, and important to read things that are less emotionally significant than the Bible, which helps us hone our tools in a less charged environment. Here is an example:
So, I was watching the Super bowl on Sunday, and saw this Budweiser commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnMloXnGC7U

It is the Budweiser bridge commercial, for those who don't want to follow the link. The commercial ends with this tagline: “Budweiser its what we do.”


Monday, February 8, 2010

Mennonite Church USA restructuring

http://www.themennonite.org/issues/13-2/articles/MC_USA_consultant_reveals_alignment_report

For all those interested in internal Mennonite Church USA politics and processes, Mennonite Church USA engaged a consultant this past year to reflect on its structure. These are his reports.

In my first reading, a couple of things stand out:
1) moving Mennonite Mission Network under the auspices of the executive board (presumably with this hope of making 'mission' more broadly understood core to the work of the executive leadership).
2) giving area conferences more power, by giving them representation on the board, and asking the board to work more collaboratively with them.  (interesting, but I wonder if the vastly different sizes of area conferences means that if given more power their would be some dramatic differences in services offered).
3) encouraging the streamlined use of support staff (this makes lots of sense to me).

Also, they are suggesting adding Mennonite Health Alliance as a fifth 'agency' along with Mennonite Mission Network, Mennonite Publishing Network, Mennonite Education Agency, and Mennonite Mutual Aid. I'm curious how Mennonite Health Alliance members from other Mennonite denominations will respond to this.

Just an update, for those who are curious.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Meatless Mondays

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
http://michaelcreedfg.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/grant-aided-meat-processors-failing-to-create-irish-jobs/


The link goes to a website encouraging people to give up meat on Mondays. Pretty self explanatory.  It caught my eye, because being vegetarian is something I've played with over time.

In seminary, one of my good friends wrote her thesis explaining why pacifists ought to be vegetarian-long story short, the science suggests that animals can feel pain, they are biologically relatives, and the structures of factory farms in our country are horrifying (Upton Sinclare's Jungle is still out there).  It was an interesting argument.  I went vegetarian for Lent on her behalf in the spring for 2007.

It didn't quite take, because I quite buy the theological argument-our world is pretty fully structured on the basis of animals eating one another. We are all tomorrow's food, as the saying goes, but I like this idea of meatless Mondays for three reasons-

1) I believe in discipline. Practices, whatever they look like, are worth developing.
2) I believe in awareness. Taking one day off a week from meat is a way of reminding ourselves that our diets are meat heavy from a nutritional and environmental perspective (there are more carbon emissions from cows than cars).
3) I believe in education-imagine how many interesting conversations you could have with friends and family if you took this up!

I haven't run it by the spouse yet, but I'm intrigued.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Who we are in carbon


the graph is from wikepedia















Since I think the evidence shows that global warming will likely be the preeminent human challenge for the next 100 years or so, its useful to think about how the world is now, and what it might look like in the future.
Thus, this graph,

http://junkcharts.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341e992c53ef0120a81ae3fa970b-pi

which I got from The Economist's great economics blog free exchange http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/

It gives a fascinating portrayal of what has happened to China and India in the last 20 years, and suggests just who has the most room to reduce carbon emissions.

I'd be curious if you notice anything worth paying attention to here.

Monday, February 1, 2010

1 Corinthians 12:26-13

Two things:
1) I have my sermon text for this Sunday. I spoke on how we form the body of Christ, and how we love one another. I invite you to consider answering the question: where do I best embody the love of Corinthians 13?

2) Here's a fascinating link that provides a sense of scale from everything from electrons to the Milky Way. I think its worth thinking about how big and how small the world around us really is. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347

from http://authenticmike.wordpress.com/