Living on the edge

He was a man living on the edge. 

He lived  on the edge between reason and insanity.  Who knew when all the powers that competed for his life would once again attempt to crush his will, his mind, even his very life? He lived on that edge between love and hate as his neighbors first tried to help, then in fear and frustration left him to rant and rave beyond the community.

 He lived on the edge of civilization, in that town across the sea, where pigs were raised.  He lived in a land that knew not YHWH and therefore, beyond the blessings of the Divine Creator.  He lived on the edge between life and death, out there among the tombs, hidden among the dead.

Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee to step into the world of a man who was living on the edge, just as Jesus crossed the eternal divide to step into the world of humankind who was perpetually living on the edge.

Take a moment and focus in.  Zoom in on that moment when Jesus stepped out of the boat on the other side of the sea, on the other side of the acceptable, on the other side of the land of blessing.  Focus in on that first step when Jesus, the very presence of God in our world, took that first step..  He came as the Divine Creator, the Divine Lover, the Divine Healer, the eternal bridge between our reality and God's desire.

Jesus came to see the anonymous man who was out of his right mind, raving at the furies, naked in every aspect of his tormented life, and 'living' (if you could call it that) among the dead. Jesus came to him and he was re-born.  The oppression of the Legion of demons - like the legion of Roman soldiers who ruled with an iron fist - was expelled.  His mind was released.  His tongue was released.  His body became his own once again.  Jesus stepped on that distant shore to give this man back his life.

That is all.  One man across the vast sea, living in a foreign land, experienced the total healing of every part of his life.  Then he is left behind to lead others towards this person who heals, this Son of God who gives life, this Savior who recognizes neither race or social status, but only wounded need.

In the end, the anonymous man was given two gifts: the gift of life and the gift of community.  Jesus?  Everyone asked him to leave.  They were frightened - by what?  Too much good?  Too much unknown?  Too much that was going to change?  Not sure, I just know that in the end, it was Jesus who was pushed to the edge, without community, without protection, without status.

The one who traveled to the edge to bring life was pushed to the edge yet promised life.  Whatever edge you are living on.....look for Jesus.

Somewhere...

What  was it  like to be gathered with folk  who risked their lives  in order to be baptized?  People who knew that the life being offered by Jesus was  far more valuable than the one they now knew?  People who hungered and thirsted after a relationship with God? And who weren't  interested in 'guilt' but in joy?

What would it take to gather folks who wanted to push the boundaries of their spiritual life? To go deeper? To ask the hard questions?  To put their time and money  and talents (whatever  that might be) towards serving the neighbor? To be willing to give up what they think they believe in order to discover God more fully?

What would  it be like to belong  to a group where you knew there would always be a space for  you at the table no  matter how big a jackass you (regularly) tended to make of yourself?

What would it be  like to know forgiveness....from your neighbor?

Does this describe  a community you  know?  Does it describe a community you  want to build?

Jesus calls  us into just such a community.  Jesus calls us to be just  such a community. Let's  talk.

Brother and sister in Christ..........

There are many reasons why individuals stand for election as Bishop of their synod.  You can guess most of them.  Officially we elect a bishop, but if we are listening closely to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we call a bishop into service.

It is a difficult call.  There is enormous responsibility and a wide range of skills needed.  There is a steep learning curve as a pastor moves from the local congregation onto a state and national stage.  It seems to me that no one should take the call lightly.

This past week, the Upstate NY Synod met in assembly and elected a bishop.  There were 6 pastors asked to stand for election at the beginning and at the final vote there were only two:  two pastors who have served faithfully and with skill for 30+ years.  Two pastors who have worked together and supported one another's work.  Two pastors who were both friends and colleagues.  Two pastors who could have considered retirement rather than taking up a demanding call.  One had been bishop for 12 years; one could only guess what it would mean.

They prayed together before the final vote.  They prayed for one another and for the synod.  They prayed for the Church and its work within the world.  They prayed for the assembly.  How do I know?  Because that is who they are: servants of the Gospel whose hearts are set on the work and call of Jesus Christ in their lives.

The assembly elected the Rev. John S. Macholz bishop for the next 6 years, and therefore will be saying good-bye to Bishop Marie Jerge as she finishes her term in September. When the results were announced, the two of them shared a genuine hug of support and mutual respect.  We, the people of Upstate NY have been faithfully served by Rev. Marie Jerge for 12 years and she would have given us 6 more.  We will be served to the best of his ability by Rev. Macholz.  They will continue to pray for one another and for Christ's church.

This is what it looks like to be brother and sister in Christ.  This is what it looks like to be the Church.  May God continue to bless our leaders in their servanthood in Christ's name.

"Hold hands when crossing the street."

"Hold hands when crossing the street."
This is advice for all ages even though we all learned it in kindergarten according to Robert Fulghum in his book, Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

Hold hands when facing danger or stepping into uncharted waters. Have someone with you when finding your way in a new city or receiving a diagnosis.  A trusted friend; a spouse; even your pastor.  Don't go in there alone.

For humans were not meant to be alone.  God recognized this.  In Genesis 1 God makes male and female at the same time.  In Genesis 2, the second story of creation, God realizes that animals are not exactly what the lone human creature needs, and so a second is made, and we have male and female, two parts of one whole.

Perhaps that is why relationship and companionship are critical to our well-being; when we are alone too often, we feel like that missing sock......a little lost in the world.  So we reach out and hold the hand of the other, if but for a short time.

Once we recognize our own need for the other, encouraging others becomes a calling.  "Well done."  "Enjoy your day."  "Thanks for your help."  "You did that so well."  These are the most basic of the tools of relationship and the more folks pick them up and use them, the kinder this world becomes.

Are you surprised that our faith benefits from encouragement as well?  No matter what our age, it makes us stronger to have someone nearby who has been through this particular storm, who has been overwhelmed with doubt, who has lost their ability to pray and found it again.

Faith communities are especially fertile for encouragement.  Our relationships are founded in Jesus and his love of others, forgiveness of others, and desire to bring healing to others.  So, parents find encouragement from other parents as they raise their children in the faith and learn how to be gracious and forgiving.  Aging couples look to others like them to navigate the spiritual rapids that are both new and dangerous. We pray for one another.  We help carry the other's burdens if only for a little while.

Encouraging others can be a particular gift of the Spirit and if you have been blessed, you have known someone who simply believes in you and your faith more than you do.  However, the everyday version of encouraging one another is a tool for building and strengthening our faith, a tool each of us can pick up and use often.

Ripe tomatoes and a rich man's barns

It's going to start happening any day now: the tomatoes will begin to turn from pink to red to luscious...and after about a week you will have more tomatoes than you can handle.  It's  a wonderful time of abundance and the best tasting tomatoes you are going to eat for at least another year.  Yet, enough is enough and eventually you will have more tomatoes than you can creatively use.

What are you to do?

The rich man had the same problem: the harvest was so heavy he couldn't fit it all in his barns.  What to do? His solution was to pull down the barns he had and build new, bigger ones.

I wonder if he ever considered throwing a party for all his neighbors (who knew he had more than he could store) and give away a bag of grain to each of them - "Take it with you!  I have more than I can handle already!"

Did he ever think that God had sent this amazing harvest into his hands so he would turn and share it with his neighbors in need?  So he could feed the hungry?  Did he ever consider that he was blessed so that he could bless others?  Not only that, Jesus tells him that this harvest was to be his last.  He would never again get the opportunity to spread the wealth around like this again, because tonight he would die.  The time had run out; there would be no more blessings received nor blessings to give.

What a shame!  What a crying shame.

belonging.....

It is what we want most, ahead of money or status.  Belonging.  Community.  Or to quote Cheers, 'a place where everybody knows your name.'

We want to experience being a part of it - and this includes our spiritual longings as well.  What a religious community says is secondary to how it 'is' with and for one another.  When I look at the group here gathered, do I want to be one of them?  Do I want to grow into one of them?  Do I want to live my life as they live theirs?  Do I experience good in this group so that I see it at work and trust what I see?  Is this where I could belong?

For those who gather around the Christian cross, the question then becomes, 'Who am I when I belong to Christ?'  This question marks the beginning of a rich and vibrant spiritual life - for the individual and for the community at large.  You can translate that into: How have I experienced Christ?  How has Christ changed my experience of the world, and the world's experience of me?  What might it look like if Christ was in, with and under each of my words, thoughts and deeds? We might ask as a community:  How do we reflect the life we have experienced in Jesus to the world?  How does it change how we act and what we decide to do as a community? 

In fact, our life of faith together should go beyond community (which could easily define Buffalo Bills fans) to communion - a set of relationships that both reflects our passions and shapes them at the same time.*  That is, we belong because of who they are.  We are who we are because of where we belong.

All too complicated for you? I get it.  It comes down to this: folks who are spiritually seeking are looking for a community where those who belong reflect the very values they espouse.  They have seen something they want to imitate. 

They aren't seeking answers to questions; they are seeking a place where they can belong.  They expect that the answers to complicated questions are to be discovered way down the road.  First they want to trust the folks with whom they are making the journey.

Be attentive to your own imitation of Christ.  Invite others to walk with you as you grow and learn.  Don't feel pressed to have the big answers.  Belong and invite others to belong as well.

That's what Jesus did. 

*Once again, I acknowledge the writing and wisdom of Diana Butler Bass in her book, Christianity after Religion, from which I took inspiration and a quote or two.  Do read it.

A Community of Faith

First, a community.  A gathering which experiences a connection amongst the members; a group of people who are intentionally gathered for a shared purpose.

Congregations can be corporate entities or they can be communities (who have corporate/legal structure).  When a congregation is a community, people know that they are a part of something bigger than themselves - which is capable of things beyond the individuals' capacity.  They know that they contribute to the bigger whole.

Here is the take of one 'de-churched' individual (once active, now not) speaking especially about church leaders:

“What I value now is proximity. The only leaders I care to hear are those willing to know me and be known. Not in some official capacity over Starbucks with their church credit card in hand. But with a friend, a person living honestly in their own right with no agenda or ‘line’ to keep--but possessing the strength of character to have their own voice, doubts and convictions.”

All of which leads to the second word, faith.  Faith is not a destination but a journey, and for us it is a journey empowered by the Holy Spirit in the discipleship of Jesus Christ.  We have folks all along the road: at different points, with different motivations and different understandings, but what we share is the trust that this God in Jesus Christ is the way.  So when we gather as a community, we share our stories of faith, we seek ways to incarnate our convictions and help others, we confess our shortcomings in the presence of others who believe.

We are a community of faith, by God's calling in Christ Jesus and powered by the Holy Spirit.
For this we continually give thanks.