This Thursday, I'm going to do something that makes me uncomfortable even thinking about: I'm going to an ecumenical prayer service outside church walls. It's the National Collegiate Day of Prayer on the campus of Western Washington University.
I'm uncomfortable about this for several reasons. Personally, I am not a fan of extemporaneous prayer, particularly when led by strangers, because I don't know what direction they're going to take. I am certain that there will be people with whom I have profound political and philosophical differences; will they pray for real world outcomes that I do not want to see? Or what if someone gets going and doesn't know when to stop, or continuously stammers “and we just pray that...” as a pious variant of “um”? Trust me, those things are going to happen.
But I also see it as an opportunity to interact with people of different faith traditions and, this being the Pacific Northwest, people of no faith tradition at all. We (Episcopal Campus Ministries, from St. Paul's Bellingham) have an hour to lead prayers, and I hope we will do our best to show people who may not be familiar with the Episcopal Church how inclusive and relevant our structured worship can be. We're going to use An Order of Service for Noonday from the Book of Common Prayer.
One of our strengths as a liturgical church is the focus on worship as central to our identity. The prayers in the BCP have been written very, very carefully so that people can pray them together even while holding different ideas of what they may mean, or hoping for different outcomes. This is no accident. In the formative years of the Church of England, people were killing each other over their religious differences. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Parliament passed a series of statutes on religion that came to be known as the Elizabethan Settlement (cf. http://library.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/elizabethan-settlement ). The Elizabethan Settlement was the starting point of the Anglican via media or “middle path” that the Episcopal Church strives for to this day. While technically Protestant, we retained much from the Roman Catholic church. In many respects, our liturgy and vestments are practically indistinguishable from those in a Roman mass. The via media gives us tremendous room to include people with divergent, even opposite, perspectives on religious and human issues.
We live in interesting times. There are numerous social, economic, and political issues that divide us. It is my opinion that only by putting God first can we resolve them in a just way. I think people of any faith would agree with that. Ah, but what does it mean? What I think it means and what you think it means may not be the same. That's why our carefully written prayer book is so valuable. Our liturgy seeks to keep us focused on God during worship, not on ourselves. Or, as a friend of mine (and budding Episcopalian) puts it, when we participate in the liturgy we let go of our egos and accept others as ourselves.
My goal for Thursday's noon prayer is for everyone to feel closer to God, regardless of theology, political philosophy, or conflicting positions on the issues of our times.
The Lord be with you,
Brad
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
A Time for Reflection and Preparation
Outside Church Walls “Seeking God’s Mission-Oriented Future” requires that as our Lent and Easter seasons are fast upon us, we as a group must take time and reflect on our journey thus far. We need to prepare for where the Lord may lead us in the days to come.
We need time to reflect in our Church congregations and within our communities. Taking time to walk with George and “Hello Kitty”, riding on bus route $303 with Eliacin, pick up the ball in “communication” as Brad says, or we have no one to blame but ourselves. Spend some time with Kelly and a local fire fighter to learn more that we can do in our community. Bless you all for showing us the way.
Time to reflect on the very positive example taken by Pope Francis to all Christians- get outside our Churches, take care of the poor, the homeless and down-trodden, step forward and walk the walk you know...like Jesus. Amen!
Take time to reflect on a perfect example of this type of ministry going on right here in our Diocese thanks to Terry Kyllo, an ELCA Pastor at St. Phillips Episcopal Church and working to develop Catacomb Churches in the greater Skagit Valley area. We met at Luther’s Table in Renton where he explained his conception of home Churches or organized around social action issues that represents a manifestation of the Church in the world. Sound familiar?
Take time to prepare by setting up small groups or bible studies (a backbone of past Churches) that led to stronger Church organization inside the walls that spilled outside. I can remember in the 1960’s and 70’s the Edge of Adventure series with Keith Miller and Bruce Larson. Meeting in small groups, usually in homes or in church, communicating within the congregation and into the community.
Prepare by taking part in your communities’ organizations that work effectively in carrying out God’s mission-oriented future. Why you might even invite them to dinner and fellowship. This time of year with Shrove Tuesday approaching, a little ham or sausage and pancakes can go a long way in walking the walk like Jesus!
We need time to reflect in our Church congregations and within our communities. Taking time to walk with George and “Hello Kitty”, riding on bus route $303 with Eliacin, pick up the ball in “communication” as Brad says, or we have no one to blame but ourselves. Spend some time with Kelly and a local fire fighter to learn more that we can do in our community. Bless you all for showing us the way.
Time to reflect on the very positive example taken by Pope Francis to all Christians- get outside our Churches, take care of the poor, the homeless and down-trodden, step forward and walk the walk you know...like Jesus. Amen!
Take time to reflect on a perfect example of this type of ministry going on right here in our Diocese thanks to Terry Kyllo, an ELCA Pastor at St. Phillips Episcopal Church and working to develop Catacomb Churches in the greater Skagit Valley area. We met at Luther’s Table in Renton where he explained his conception of home Churches or organized around social action issues that represents a manifestation of the Church in the world. Sound familiar?
Take time to prepare by setting up small groups or bible studies (a backbone of past Churches) that led to stronger Church organization inside the walls that spilled outside. I can remember in the 1960’s and 70’s the Edge of Adventure series with Keith Miller and Bruce Larson. Meeting in small groups, usually in homes or in church, communicating within the congregation and into the community.
Prepare by taking part in your communities’ organizations that work effectively in carrying out God’s mission-oriented future. Why you might even invite them to dinner and fellowship. This time of year with Shrove Tuesday approaching, a little ham or sausage and pancakes can go a long way in walking the walk like Jesus!
Chuck
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Perspective
This past week I spoke with a local firefighter as part of the ongoing Community Conversations Project. I asked him the three simple questions: What is going on in our community? What is the biggest challenge facing our community? How can a church respond? What I heard was eye opening, and I learned some new things about my town that I never would have otherwise.
In our community, firefighters often respond to every 911 call, so they are all over the community each day. They see people at times of crisis, when they are at their most vulnerable. What a valuable perspective he was able to share!
Just by asking these questions, I heard about the homeless camps all around my town, where hundreds of people are living invisibly in different areas I pass by every day. I wasn’t aware that in a vacant lot I drive past weekly, up to 50 people are living in the shadows and far from resources available to help them. I also heard about the families in our community who are living in on the edge, and how over the years firefighters see the children of these families grow up without being able to break the cycle of poverty. But I also heard how people help each other more than is ever reported in the news. From this firefighter’s perspective, when faced with crisis most people do as much as they can to come to the aid of their neighbors.
We did not come up with answers to the challenge of homelessness, but the conversation revealed many opportunities to serve as Christ’s hands in the world, in ways large and small.
What have you learned from conversations you have had?
In our community, firefighters often respond to every 911 call, so they are all over the community each day. They see people at times of crisis, when they are at their most vulnerable. What a valuable perspective he was able to share!
Just by asking these questions, I heard about the homeless camps all around my town, where hundreds of people are living invisibly in different areas I pass by every day. I wasn’t aware that in a vacant lot I drive past weekly, up to 50 people are living in the shadows and far from resources available to help them. I also heard about the families in our community who are living in on the edge, and how over the years firefighters see the children of these families grow up without being able to break the cycle of poverty. But I also heard how people help each other more than is ever reported in the news. From this firefighter’s perspective, when faced with crisis most people do as much as they can to come to the aid of their neighbors.
We did not come up with answers to the challenge of homelessness, but the conversation revealed many opportunities to serve as Christ’s hands in the world, in ways large and small.
What have you learned from conversations you have had?
Kelly
Monday, February 17, 2014
Walking with Hello Kitty and other great adventures outside church walls
So I did it. It wasn’t easy—my hands shook a little. I spoke with my Barista asking her the questions about the challenges of our community. She was floored when I asked her my opening question. She took her break to sit down and talk to me. When I thanked her for her time, she said that she had many strong feelings about religion and church.
Here’s what I learned. My barista is from Peru. Her biggest concern was about human trafficking. She had a cousin that disappeared back home. She talked to me about domestic workers as well as prostitutes and how there is great exploitation that goes on. I mentioned to her that I’d be blogging our conversation and she asked me not to give her name. I didn’t ask her why. She was emphatic about this. So I honor that.
She didn’t think church people would care about such people. Church is for people that want to hide from life, she told me.
I told her about some church friends of mine that are deeply concerned about human trafficking. She was surprised that church people cared about human trafficking and she was also surprised that our church was supportive of LGBT people. “I didn’t know that was possible,” she said. “I meet lots of Christians that don’t care about others.”
And then my barista did something amazing. She turned the tables on me.
I know you are a pastor, she said. I see you here in your collar. What do you think is the greatest concern in our community and what are you doing about it.
Oh man, this is where the rubber hits the road.
I’m glad I didn’t hesitate. I took Hello Kitty with me on a walk recently.
I will admit I said this to her for effect—it was well worth it. You should have seen the look on her face! I then explained myself.
You see, I have a daughter that’s eight years old and I waited a long long time to have a child and my greatest challenge is not being scared out of my mind to drop her off at school everyday.
I’m scared because of all the random school shootings that seem like a regular everyday event. It scares me. Big time. Especially after what happened last year in Newtown.
I have to do something. So a couple weeks ago, I did my first 10 K walk and took Hello Kitty with me.
A pastor I know organized a 10 K walk to the capital in support of a legislation bill that supports universal background checks on people who want to purchase guns in our state. He invited pastors to walk with back packs to represent the 8 kids that are killed or injured daily by guns in our country. We walked in support of universal background checks on guns in our state.
The barista had to get back to work. Guns. She said. I don’t know if I agree with that. She told me but I’m glad I talked to you today. And I’m going to learn about this gun thing, she said. I don’t know about this. But I like Hello Kitty she then showed me her Hello Kitty Watch.
I couldn’t let go though… oh the preacher in me… One more thing, I said.
There are Christians who care deeply and go to church not because they are hiding but because it helps us remember who we are—it is a spiritual practice that centers us and helps us to go on in our work in the world. We work hard in the world to be the change we want to see —we do it because we want to be Good News in the world.
She looked at me suspiciously. Okay. She said. It was uncomfortable to end this way but not every conversation is perfect and neat. I know too that I will see her again. I will go in and have coffee. I know we will talk again.
In the meanwhile, there’s another adventure brewing for me, another conversation to have.
My next assignment for Outside Church Walls is having coffee with a theatre guy I met through a friend on facebook. He wants to have a conversation about Christian Privilege. I went to a workshop he did a few weeks ago on Christian Privilege and can hardly wait to talk!
Here’s what I learned. My barista is from Peru. Her biggest concern was about human trafficking. She had a cousin that disappeared back home. She talked to me about domestic workers as well as prostitutes and how there is great exploitation that goes on. I mentioned to her that I’d be blogging our conversation and she asked me not to give her name. I didn’t ask her why. She was emphatic about this. So I honor that.
She didn’t think church people would care about such people. Church is for people that want to hide from life, she told me.
I told her about some church friends of mine that are deeply concerned about human trafficking. She was surprised that church people cared about human trafficking and she was also surprised that our church was supportive of LGBT people. “I didn’t know that was possible,” she said. “I meet lots of Christians that don’t care about others.”
And then my barista did something amazing. She turned the tables on me.
I know you are a pastor, she said. I see you here in your collar. What do you think is the greatest concern in our community and what are you doing about it.
Oh man, this is where the rubber hits the road.
I’m glad I didn’t hesitate. I took Hello Kitty with me on a walk recently.
I will admit I said this to her for effect—it was well worth it. You should have seen the look on her face! I then explained myself.
You see, I have a daughter that’s eight years old and I waited a long long time to have a child and my greatest challenge is not being scared out of my mind to drop her off at school everyday.
I’m scared because of all the random school shootings that seem like a regular everyday event. It scares me. Big time. Especially after what happened last year in Newtown.
I have to do something. So a couple weeks ago, I did my first 10 K walk and took Hello Kitty with me.
A pastor I know organized a 10 K walk to the capital in support of a legislation bill that supports universal background checks on people who want to purchase guns in our state. He invited pastors to walk with back packs to represent the 8 kids that are killed or injured daily by guns in our country. We walked in support of universal background checks on guns in our state.
The barista had to get back to work. Guns. She said. I don’t know if I agree with that. She told me but I’m glad I talked to you today. And I’m going to learn about this gun thing, she said. I don’t know about this. But I like Hello Kitty she then showed me her Hello Kitty Watch.
I couldn’t let go though… oh the preacher in me… One more thing, I said.
There are Christians who care deeply and go to church not because they are hiding but because it helps us remember who we are—it is a spiritual practice that centers us and helps us to go on in our work in the world. We work hard in the world to be the change we want to see —we do it because we want to be Good News in the world.
She looked at me suspiciously. Okay. She said. It was uncomfortable to end this way but not every conversation is perfect and neat. I know too that I will see her again. I will go in and have coffee. I know we will talk again.
In the meanwhile, there’s another adventure brewing for me, another conversation to have.
My next assignment for Outside Church Walls is having coffee with a theatre guy I met through a friend on facebook. He wants to have a conversation about Christian Privilege. I went to a workshop he did a few weeks ago on Christian Privilege and can hardly wait to talk!
George
Monday, February 10, 2014
Connecting
I had a nice conversation with the owner of my local gas station/convenience store.
He had an understandable concern about shoplifting. But he was also deeply worried about youth homelessness – he knew the local statistics and often fed people from his store. He discussed the breakdown of groups, talking about the strength of the large Pakistani community around Vancouver, BC.
I've known this man for more than 15 years, as a local who drops in for a beverage now and then. We've been pleasant in the past, but nothing more.
I decided to ask him his concerns about our neighborhood as part of the Community Conversations that OCW has been advocating. I have to confess this was uncomfortable for me, asking questions about how a church might help with issues. It’s not my natural behavior.
But the problem is this: I want to be connected with my neighbors and let them know that I care, that my church cares, and that my faith matters. I’m just going to have to have more conversations, and get comfortable with them.
He had an understandable concern about shoplifting. But he was also deeply worried about youth homelessness – he knew the local statistics and often fed people from his store. He discussed the breakdown of groups, talking about the strength of the large Pakistani community around Vancouver, BC.
I've known this man for more than 15 years, as a local who drops in for a beverage now and then. We've been pleasant in the past, but nothing more.
I decided to ask him his concerns about our neighborhood as part of the Community Conversations that OCW has been advocating. I have to confess this was uncomfortable for me, asking questions about how a church might help with issues. It’s not my natural behavior.
But the problem is this: I want to be connected with my neighbors and let them know that I care, that my church cares, and that my faith matters. I’m just going to have to have more conversations, and get comfortable with them.
Greg
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Commitment
Today could have been the best day of my life, but it wasn’t. It was one of those times when commitment was needed, and it just wasn’t there. Today was the Seahawks’ parade.
I was ambivalent about going from the start. I had two motivations. The first was simply that I “should go.” It is a big deal community event, and it may never happen again, so I “should just go.” The second was that I should take my daughter. I think she was motivated to go by the fact that she is 14 and she had been given the day off from school. Imagine going back to school and not having gone! So I announced I would accompany her and her friend to the parade. This did not go over well at all. Bad start. I tried to explain myself… “It has to do with crowds,” I said. “They make me nervous”. Twice in my life I have been in crowds that have turned into mobs. They become scary, uncontrollable beasts. Sure this is Seattle, but remember the WTO talks in 1999?
The above decisions weren’t even considered until Wednesday morning. Already the radio was full of announcements about packed buses, blocked streets, and people lining the parade route. I spurred my daughter on. If we were going to make the 11AM start (ha ha ha), we needed to get out the door.
It just got worse from there. Here is the point: There was no up-front commitment, and so there was no decent preparation and no adequate build-up of excitement. This must be what it feels like to go to church on Easter, having decided Easter morning to do so. Commitment counts, whether to be part of a great day in Seahawk history or to lose weight or to grow on one’s spiritual journey. When we commit to something, we prepare and plan and anticipate, and then more thoroughly enjoy the experience and get more out of it. Imagine how much fun it could have been standing on 4th Avenue with a thermos of hot chocolate, six layers of clothes and warm boots, covered in Seahawks’ paraphernalia, and then knowing the names of the players I actually waved to!!! Super cool, it would have been, if I had been committed.
Jesus understands commitment. He says it this way… “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt 13:45). Talk about commitment. Here is another Jesus saying… “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field” (Matt 13:44). Talk about commitment.
Are we living a committed life or are we showing up to the Seahawks’ parade in flip-flops drinking a slushy?
Usually what keeps us from commitment is a long series of decisions made that have nothing to do with who we are or what we are made to do. We are set on the treadmill, pointed toward goals made by someone else, for some other reason.
Here is the fear… if we get off the treadmill we’ll die or go broke or let our kids down or -- fill in the blank ___________.
Love is bigger than that. God is too committed to us to let that happen. After all, as Paul writes in Romans, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8). Church is the place that reminds us of this love. It is the place that reinforces the reality of God’s commitment. Grab it and go for it. Throw yourself at that pearl of great price! Buy the field! For when you do, you will find yourself smack-dab in the middle of the kingdom of heaven, maybe in the middle of a parade.
Doyt+
I was ambivalent about going from the start. I had two motivations. The first was simply that I “should go.” It is a big deal community event, and it may never happen again, so I “should just go.” The second was that I should take my daughter. I think she was motivated to go by the fact that she is 14 and she had been given the day off from school. Imagine going back to school and not having gone! So I announced I would accompany her and her friend to the parade. This did not go over well at all. Bad start. I tried to explain myself… “It has to do with crowds,” I said. “They make me nervous”. Twice in my life I have been in crowds that have turned into mobs. They become scary, uncontrollable beasts. Sure this is Seattle, but remember the WTO talks in 1999?
The above decisions weren’t even considered until Wednesday morning. Already the radio was full of announcements about packed buses, blocked streets, and people lining the parade route. I spurred my daughter on. If we were going to make the 11AM start (ha ha ha), we needed to get out the door.
It just got worse from there. Here is the point: There was no up-front commitment, and so there was no decent preparation and no adequate build-up of excitement. This must be what it feels like to go to church on Easter, having decided Easter morning to do so. Commitment counts, whether to be part of a great day in Seahawk history or to lose weight or to grow on one’s spiritual journey. When we commit to something, we prepare and plan and anticipate, and then more thoroughly enjoy the experience and get more out of it. Imagine how much fun it could have been standing on 4th Avenue with a thermos of hot chocolate, six layers of clothes and warm boots, covered in Seahawks’ paraphernalia, and then knowing the names of the players I actually waved to!!! Super cool, it would have been, if I had been committed.
Jesus understands commitment. He says it this way… “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt 13:45). Talk about commitment. Here is another Jesus saying… “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field” (Matt 13:44). Talk about commitment.
Are we living a committed life or are we showing up to the Seahawks’ parade in flip-flops drinking a slushy?
Usually what keeps us from commitment is a long series of decisions made that have nothing to do with who we are or what we are made to do. We are set on the treadmill, pointed toward goals made by someone else, for some other reason.
Here is the fear… if we get off the treadmill we’ll die or go broke or let our kids down or -- fill in the blank ___________.
Love is bigger than that. God is too committed to us to let that happen. After all, as Paul writes in Romans, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8). Church is the place that reminds us of this love. It is the place that reinforces the reality of God’s commitment. Grab it and go for it. Throw yourself at that pearl of great price! Buy the field! For when you do, you will find yourself smack-dab in the middle of the kingdom of heaven, maybe in the middle of a parade.
Doyt+
Monday, February 3, 2014
Where the Pilgrimage Continues
I am writing this while on the bus, on bus route #303 from downtown Seattle to Shoreline. I travel on this bus every morning on my way to work/school and every afternoon on my way back home. I have been riding this bus for the past few years, long enough to recognize the regular travelers. By now I have met some of them, had some good conversations and listen to very interesting stories. I am not naturally chatty. I mostly keep to myself. However, these passengers and I share the same morning and afternoon experience, our stories intersect for 40 minutes while on route #303. But that is not the all the extend of our commonality. The lives of those in route #303 also meet in our common human experience.
I just returned a week ago from a 10 day pilgrimage in Holy Land. The experience was extraordinary. I was struck by the fact that the holy sites are made holy by the stories, the feelings, and the prayers poured into those places. There was nothing objectively visible about the Holy Places to make them remarkable, but simple stories of sacred events that shared through generations makes visiting them rich with meaning. So there I was in the Holy Land, joining the many pilgrims from ages past in consecrating the places by entering and participating into the Holy Stories, the stories of the place, the stories of it people and my stories too. As pilgrim, I joined the tradition of participating in journey toward the Holy that is everywhere. Now I am back home, where the pilgrimage continues. Bus route #303 is part of my continuing journey and the stories of the follow passengers are holy stories. I pray I can honor the their stories, as a pilgrim seeking to find Christ in them. As pilgrim in a Holy Land that is everywhere, listening to sacred stories everywhere, even at the bus stop while waiting for #303.
Eliacin
I just returned a week ago from a 10 day pilgrimage in Holy Land. The experience was extraordinary. I was struck by the fact that the holy sites are made holy by the stories, the feelings, and the prayers poured into those places. There was nothing objectively visible about the Holy Places to make them remarkable, but simple stories of sacred events that shared through generations makes visiting them rich with meaning. So there I was in the Holy Land, joining the many pilgrims from ages past in consecrating the places by entering and participating into the Holy Stories, the stories of the place, the stories of it people and my stories too. As pilgrim, I joined the tradition of participating in journey toward the Holy that is everywhere. Now I am back home, where the pilgrimage continues. Bus route #303 is part of my continuing journey and the stories of the follow passengers are holy stories. I pray I can honor the their stories, as a pilgrim seeking to find Christ in them. As pilgrim in a Holy Land that is everywhere, listening to sacred stories everywhere, even at the bus stop while waiting for #303.
Eliacin
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