Friday, October 9, 2009

Be Something You Love…

Remember the 1994 movie Forrest Gump? Great movie (and great soundtrack!). I love how it turns one simple man’s story into an epic adventure. Call it an uninhibited celebration of ordinary life. If you haven’t seen it, rent it. We can watch it together!

The main character, Forrest, though he grew up with leg braces, is quite the runner. He played football at Alabama University because of his speed. He used his running talent to save people in Vietnam. And one day, near the movie’s end, he bumps into the woman he’s loved since childhood, Jenny (pronounced J-eh-eh-knee). Long story short, she breaks his heart. Simple man that he is, Forrest takes a run. And he runs. And he runs.


And he runs.

All across the country.

And back.

And back again.

And he keeps running.

He doesn’t stop for “three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours.” During that time, he unintentionally inspires a HUGE following. It begins with one guy thinking this running-across-America thing is quite groovy. More join in, and more still; all following Forrest, mile after mile. Until, in the middle of what looks like New Mexico, Forrest stops running. “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now,” he says, as he walks through his followers, parting down the center like the Red Sea. Someone yells, “Now what’re we supposed to do?” Forrest says nothing. He just goes home.

It’s funny what inspires us, amen? I once heard a guy interviewed who grew up loving electronics. For some unknown reason, he decided to learn all about pay phones, eventually figuring out how to make long distance calls on them for free. So he called…the Pope, pretending to be Harry Kissinger. The Pontiff’s personal assistant figured out the ruse after thirty minutes, but the guy wasn’t deterred. Steve Jobs co-founded Apple Computers, and makes a decent living. All because, randomly, he was inspired by electronics.

Inspiration has made its way into recent sermons and letters; maybe you’ve noticed. It’s been on my mind, and that’s because I think Christian living should be inspired living- living with purpose and mission. What that looks like for each of us isn’t always clear, especially when life goes through changes. But I don’t think we should ever give up searching for that little something that inspires us.

Unlike the runners of Forrest Gump, though, Christian inspiration has a distinct purpose. Jesus described it in Matthew 23:37-40, “Love the LORD your God…and love your neighbor as yourself.” But Jesus isn’t Forrest, running away from the past to put the pain behind him. Jesus leads us toward something- namely, the Reign of God, where unconditional, overwhelming love rule the day every day. As his followers, we run after him toward this glorious Reign, both receiving divine love in fuller measure every step, and sharing it with everyone we pass, inviting them to join in.

Every year, running inspires Plymouth Creekers to follow Jesus and love our neighbors. Walking actually, but close enough. I mean the annual CROP Walk, of course, or what I often call the Plymouth Creek Victory Celebration (since we’re always the top fundraiser!). I’m not exactly sure why CROP Walk, which fights hunger from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth, inspires us so much, but it does. Other things inspire us to pursue God’s Reign too, of course, but the CROP Walk’s worth mentioning because it’s this Sunday, October 11, when, as in years past, we’ll walk/jog/run after our Lord on a mission. If you’re walking, thanks for getting inspired. If you’re not, thanks for your support. Walking may be simple stuff, but that’s how the Reign of God happens- God’s overwhelming love inspires ordinary life. May this walk help you live inspired. In all things,

Grace and Peace,

Shane

PS- If you still want to support our walking, go to the Church World Service Web Site. Click “Find Your Walk”, look for the MN NW Suburbs walk and click donate (or just follow this link). Search for team “Plymouth Creek.” And viola!

PPS- If you have family/friends who might want to help, pass along this letter. Thanks to all!
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Sunday, October 4, 2009

Some strange symbolism…

I did it. I’m a lemming. A sheep. And you know what? I don’t care! If I had it to do over, I’d do it sooner. I hope we can still be friends. But I thought you should know- I read Dan Brown’s new novel.

Maybe, just maybe you don’t know what I’m talking about. Perhaps one or two of you haven’t heard that Dan Brown, (in)famous author of the 2003 smash hit novel The Da Vinci Code, has FINALLY published another book. I was in seminary when Da Vinci came out, and the blowback was stupendous. Multiple professors spent entire class periods giving unannounced lectures on the theological and historical inaccuracies of the novel (my seminary took itself a bit too seriously, at times). Across the nation, both theological liberals and conservatives joined forces in condemning this “appalling work of absolute fiction”, albeit for different reasons. All this attention did exactly what the publisher hoped for: I got interested enough to read it.

I’m glad I did. It was a fun book. Not very careful about church history, but entertaining. A buddy of mine, after I finished Da Vinci, lent me two of Brown’s earlier novels, and I devoured those as well. So when I heard recently that another Dan Brown adventure, titled The Lost Symbol, was out, I got it, and within a week my Dan Brown fix was fixed.

The book, you should know, doesn’t have those mind-blowing speculations about Christianity that made The Da Vinci Code controversial. But there’s stuff that will get folk a bit heated, which is partly why I like these stories. They get folk thinking about religion. Being a pastor, that makes me happy. Surprise, surprise. Also, they encourage folk to think about religion in atypical ways. I like that too, despite my hesitations with Dan Brown’s theology. My reason for that is I think we often struggle to keep our thinking about God and religion from turning stale. That goes for both churchgoers and the church averse. With all that’s going on in our lives, it’s easy to get afflicted with the “I believe what I believe and that’s all there is to it” syndrome. People stop searching for fresh insight. Curiosity about God diminishes. Wonder and mystery lose their fascination. So I love it when something pops up that sparks new thinking about God. It could be a book, movie, an archeological find; it might challenge, or reinforce, fundamental beliefs. Whatever the case, when folk start re-exploring religious stuff, I believe that opens space for the Spirit to enter in and get to work.

Which relates, interestingly, to the book’s title, The Lost Symbol. Religion and symbols go together. But there’s a difference with the symbols in a puzzle (Brown’s specialty) and those used in religious worship. To the religious, a ‘symbol’ is more than a metaphor, more than a picture that represents something else. A religious ‘symbol’ takes a faithful person beyond herself into the presence of something greater. Religious symbols invite folk to interact with, and not just look at, that which is symbolized. So when I call Jesus, “King,” I mean more than, “Jesus is like royalty.” That symbol invites me to recognize and accept Jesus’ lordship over life. When I call God “Mother” or “Father,” I’m more than describing God. I’m acknowledging the very real relationship I can have with my Divine Parent. And remember, God is so great, no one symbol says everything there is to say. So it’s important we use multiple symbols to speak of God. We don’t want to worship an idea of God, or one symbol, in God’s place. Still, what’s cool is when we seek to speak more creatively about God, God’s Spirit shows up.

Regardless, Dan Brown books are fun adventures. If you plan to read it, I got a copy you can borrow. We can chat about it after, explore the symbols and plot twists together. If you don’t read it, I pray you’re finding something else to nurture your wonder about the God we serve. And that we all discover new symbols to describe our limitless Lord. In all things,


Grace and Peace,

Shane
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