For forty years I had the pleasure of being a pastor in a congregation. Every May we had a recognition of Mother's Day. Over the course of those forty years there grew up a real divide. There was the focus at the beginning on giving thanks for the mother you had. Everybody had a mother and everybody could participate. (This ignored the whole question of those whose mothers were cruel, abandoned or somehow unworthy of gratitude) But everybody had a mother, and so Mother's Day was a day in which all people could participate.
Slowly there came the equal focus in many services to recognize all those who were mothers. If you had had children you were singled out, lifted up and recognized. This became a moment of pain and sorrow for all the women who had not had a child. For many of the single women who had not had a child were excluded. All the barren wives were excluded. All the men were excluded. It'd was a moment when all those who were mothers were recognized and a moment that gave pain and sorrow to many of the women who had never had a child.
In my own comments, I attempted to focus only on the fact that we all had mothers and were were, on this day, recognizing and giving thanks for the mothers we had. But that did not stop the officers, deacons and the ushers from giving flowers only to those who were mothers. Another slight to those who had not had children.
When it came to June and we had Fathers's Day, the focus was on recognizing and honoring the feathers that we had. We were, again, all able to participate because we all have a father (again ignoring the fact that many fathers had refused to be named on the birth certificate, had walked out on the family, had refused child support, or been surrogate sperm donor) The liturgy and the talk was about honoring your father.
In my forty years of ministry, the day never developed the movement to recognize all those who were dads and to have the men who were fathers stand and be recognized. I have not heard of any young man complaining about being left out or ignored on Father's day because they have not become a father.
I have been retired now for over eight years so there may have been changing in the way Father's day is now celebrated and recognized, but I always thought it was interesting how the two celebrations were described.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Monday, June 13, 2016
Old Time Religion
It makes me very sad to see what has happened to so much of what is being called The Christian Faith. No wonder there are so many who are deciding that they would rather have "none" than be associated with Christianity. The theology of Glory, the triumphal theology, the theology of domination, the theology of the promise of victory and blessing, has seemed to capture the moment in many congregations.
But for me, just give me the "Old Time Religion" of the New Testament Early Christian church, the church that was underground, meeting in people's homes, putting all their resources into a pot and sharing what they had with each other. The early Christian church that did not have any power with political figures, the early church that was able to live and to wrestle with the questions about what to do with the other religions in the neighborhood. Can we eat the meat that was sacrificed to Zeus? The "old time religion" that attracted people by the way they loved each other. They were not in a position to try to force the way they lived on other people. That did not happen until the 4th century AD. The old time religion that did not have vast physical empires with gyms, day cares, classes on yoga, financial seminars, that did not have to try to raise millions to pay off buildings that are named for wealth donors.
The old time religion that was speaking about a new kingdom of God that had come into the world and was an alternative to the life and culture that surrounded them. Now the preaching seems to be how can we help our members live more successful and fulfill the American dream of prosperity and leisure. I understand we will not be able to go back to that old time religion of the New Testament early church but as a goal, as a vision, as a marker towards which we might look, it is better than what so many are preaching.
But for me, just give me the "Old Time Religion" of the New Testament Early Christian church, the church that was underground, meeting in people's homes, putting all their resources into a pot and sharing what they had with each other. The early Christian church that did not have any power with political figures, the early church that was able to live and to wrestle with the questions about what to do with the other religions in the neighborhood. Can we eat the meat that was sacrificed to Zeus? The "old time religion" that attracted people by the way they loved each other. They were not in a position to try to force the way they lived on other people. That did not happen until the 4th century AD. The old time religion that did not have vast physical empires with gyms, day cares, classes on yoga, financial seminars, that did not have to try to raise millions to pay off buildings that are named for wealth donors.
The old time religion that was speaking about a new kingdom of God that had come into the world and was an alternative to the life and culture that surrounded them. Now the preaching seems to be how can we help our members live more successful and fulfill the American dream of prosperity and leisure. I understand we will not be able to go back to that old time religion of the New Testament early church but as a goal, as a vision, as a marker towards which we might look, it is better than what so many are preaching.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
It is the little things
Jesus said that those who were invited into the Kingdom had done the little things: glass of water, a visit to the nursing home, a shirt for a naked person, a cane for the cripple, the small acts of dignity that recognize the common humanity of each person.
I think I am tempted to forget that, but I have to confess that there are posts on social media that remind me of the power of the little things. The story of a woman who paid for the groceries of another woman who had Food Stamps and was abused by another woman in line. The story of the stewardess who was grabbed and demanded by a white woman that she would not sit next to an African American. The stewardess went found another seat and came back and invited the African American to come with her, that he did not have to stay seated next to that bigot. The post of the three year old boy walking the dog who walked past a nice large puddle. The boy got about three steps beyond the puddle and then reconsidered. He carefully put down the lease, turned walked back to the puddle, jumped into the puddle two or three times and then came back slowly, picked up the lease and walked on with the dog calmly waiting while the boy did the jumping. A little moment of joy grabbed by the little boy. The story of some teenage boys all getting their head shaved so that their friend with cancer getting chemo would not look strange. The young girl wearing the traditional head dress of the Muslims in order to show support for the young Muslim girl in her class.
You can add your own stories, but grace does not come very often in large measures. It slips in on the little things that we do to recognize and rejoice in our common humanity and our common dignity. It is the little things that are not required, that we do because we care not because we have to, but because it feels good to do and it gives respect to others. But be very careful, it is not always easy even to do the little things. There can be some very negative responses and attack from others for even the little things. Ah, but nothing can take away the great joy and fellowship that is birthed in doing those little things.
I think I am tempted to forget that, but I have to confess that there are posts on social media that remind me of the power of the little things. The story of a woman who paid for the groceries of another woman who had Food Stamps and was abused by another woman in line. The story of the stewardess who was grabbed and demanded by a white woman that she would not sit next to an African American. The stewardess went found another seat and came back and invited the African American to come with her, that he did not have to stay seated next to that bigot. The post of the three year old boy walking the dog who walked past a nice large puddle. The boy got about three steps beyond the puddle and then reconsidered. He carefully put down the lease, turned walked back to the puddle, jumped into the puddle two or three times and then came back slowly, picked up the lease and walked on with the dog calmly waiting while the boy did the jumping. A little moment of joy grabbed by the little boy. The story of some teenage boys all getting their head shaved so that their friend with cancer getting chemo would not look strange. The young girl wearing the traditional head dress of the Muslims in order to show support for the young Muslim girl in her class.
You can add your own stories, but grace does not come very often in large measures. It slips in on the little things that we do to recognize and rejoice in our common humanity and our common dignity. It is the little things that are not required, that we do because we care not because we have to, but because it feels good to do and it gives respect to others. But be very careful, it is not always easy even to do the little things. There can be some very negative responses and attack from others for even the little things. Ah, but nothing can take away the great joy and fellowship that is birthed in doing those little things.
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