Looking back…

I returned from sabbatical over two months ago. Strange. Some days, it feels like yesterday; other days, like ancient history. But every day, were someone to ask me- How did the sabbatical go?- my honest answer still would include many platitudes and few profundities.

When I first came back, this fact worried me. I thought I needed gripping, insightful answers at ready at once! After all, people would ask about it and expect fresh wisdom. I imagined that was the point of sabbaticals; what y’all would expect.

Then, a conversation with an IOCP employee, whose 1980s Peace Corps stint was in Western Turkey, calmed my nerves. She opened with, “Welcome back. How was the trip?” I prepared to share my awkward list of halting clichés, when she cut in. “Sorry. I bet you’re still figuring it out, right?” Why, yes, I was! How did she know? “I struggled with that after the Peace Corps,” she said. “More happened than I could fit into three sentence conversations. It took awhile for even me to grasp everything I took in.”

I can’t tell you how exactly that description captured my post-sabbatical feelings. So from then on, I felt less anxiety about giving “perfect” answers. Wisdom would come, as distance and time gave me occasion to reflect with more fullness. I imagined a large movie screen, and sitting just five feet away from it. The intensity of its colors and movements would engage my senses and shock my system. But I wouldn’t fully understand the story, the movie until I stepped back and saw the whole screen. Honestly, that’s at the core of how my sabbatical has felt these past couple months.

This Sunday, however, I’ve committed to sharing my sabbatical story with the church. During our potluck, just after worship, I’ll stand before folk and sum up “what I learned.” I chose this date because, a) there was a potluck already scheduled and food always brings a crowd, b) if I didn’t have anything interesting to say, again, there’d be food…, but most especially, I figured that, c) it would give me enough time- to step back, to sort out the wise from the trivial, to organize my thoughts so others could share them. Now that it’s here, I’m still feeling unprepared, but for a different, more normal reason, thank God. I’m less overwhelmed by the closeness of the memories than I am stressed about having too much to do. How typical!

Anyway, here’s a preview of what I might say. But don’t hold me to it, okay? Still, among things that may be worth sharing about how these two months away impacted my soul, I could say:

We have a dysfunctional relationship to rest. And by we, I mean “Americans”. At least, many whom I know struggle to honor rest, to find it, to love it. But that’s not because we’re somehow less peaceful or wise than other cultures or countries. I suspect, rather, it comes from a great strength. We value work, and do it well and hard. But like most strengths, there’s a hidden weakness, and ours might be measured through bad sleep patterns, questionable eating habits and unmanaged stress.
Power matters, and we should hold ourselves responsible for how we use it. This claim comes partly from war stories I kept hearing, and otherwise from observations about divergent living standards. Whether our power is military, economic or personal privilege granted by class, race or gender, we shouldn’t pretend we don’t have it. Instead, we should account ourselves well of opportunities to use our power to help others.

Gratitude opens doors better than perfect qualifications or “proper” beliefs. Whether that’s making a connection with a stranger serving roast lamb, or hearing from a neighbor about her/his understanding of faith, you’ll learn more, get farther if you start with being thankful, rather than showing off how much you (think you) know. I’ve learned that both the glorious, and the hard way.

As for the remainder, well, I’m sure I’ll figure it out before Sunday! Mostly, though, I’m grateful for this church to sabbatical from and return to.


Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!

Greater communication…

Did your childhood include regular bedtime prayer? Mine did. Sometimes, it was informal, improvisational. Other times, we recited the famous- “Now I lay me down to sleep…” I remember it well. One line goes, “If I die before I wake,” which occasionally produced nightmares, but that’s another letter. The point is, I’m grateful my parents taught me to consider prayer an everyday pursuit. Be it at the dinner table or just before bed, this rhythm of steadily seeking an audience with God helped me learn important ideas about how faith works well.

For starters, I learned that what I said mattered less than how I said it. Eloquent prayer is no substitute for sincerity; brilliant phrasing holds no candle to humble consistency. Adults should pay more attention to their words choices than kids, but only just so. We live such busy lives, and when we’re not busy, we’re distracted. TVs that never get turned off. Web browsers always open. Memories or anxieties crowding our consciousness about families and bills, unmet responsibilities. To never interrupt that soul-stifling, spiritually-deadening torrent of constant activity, invites emotional burnout, meanness, diminished relationships. However you pray, just pray. It matters.

I know from personal experience. My first Easter in seminary, a friend invited me to his family’s dinner. I couldn’t get home for the holiday, so I accepted and naturally, they invited the seminarian to bless the meal. It had been months, I’ll confess, since I’d spoken to God beyond church. And boy, did it show. The least elegant prayer I’ve ever said in public sputtered from my mouth. Everyone cringed. But more concerning than the prayer’s awkward phrasing was the gap I felt in my soul where I knew I’d been missing something- the consistency of asking for help, an intimacy with God’s ever-ready love. I may be no prayer champion now, but I try hard not to skip as much as I’d done then!

I don’t know what your prayer life is like, but I hope one exists beyond what you do in church. May you know that God is eager to hear from you, speak with you, abide with you. And because I believe we church folk should help each other build and maintain that blessed rhythm of life, we’ve decided to expand on certain prayer efforts we’ve already been offering.

You may know that we invite prayers from worshippers each Sunday, and the following Sunday, they’re listed in the bulletin. Some of you, surely, include those in your regular prayers, and for that, thanks! But we’d like to expand that list to include concerns that may be more ongoing than, say, an upcoming surgery. Chronic pain, for instance, unemployment…you get the idea. Plus, there’s not currently an easy-to-activate mechanism for time-sensitive, critical prayer concerns. So after recent conversation with Lyle and Bonnie, we’ve identified ways to upgrade the system.

For starters, we’re now going to keep and distribute a regular prayer list that anyone can add names to for whatever reason. The names will stay on the list for a month, unless otherwise asked to remove or extend. Also, we’re inviting Plymouth Creekers to consider becoming an intentional church prayer partner. What that involves is you committing to adding this expanded list into your regular prayer routine. Do you have morning devotions or every-third-day meditations? If so, just include these names into that time. If neither, why not start now?! It’ll help our community remain connected throughout the week in prayer. If you’d like to be a church prayer partner, contact me or Lyle, and we’ll reach out to you each Monday via email or phone (your choice!) with that week’s prayer concerns. Finally, if you have a prayer concern to add- and it’s not Sunday morning- do as we’ve done before and contact the church office to put it on our list. If it’s urgent- say, an emergency surgery- then church prayer partners will be contacted, like a prayer chain, ensuring good timing.

So that’s the new plan. Send me your feedback. We’re always open to helpful suggestions! In the meantime, I pray that you will pray, with increasing devotion, compassion and love.


Grace and Peace,

Shane


P.S. - Besides our regular tray on the Communion Table, we’re placing a prayer box in the narthex for anyone who comes into our church to put prayer concerns. So if you have something you’d prefer not to share during worship, but still want attended to by our prayer partners, slip in a note and we’ll include that concern. Read more!

Community cares…

For Plymouth Creek, October saw a good deal of good church. We had fun, fellowship and success with our chili cook-off and auction. Receipts so far total over $4,000, with more coming in, the best such fundraiser I’ve seen yet! Sincere thanks to Sharon for her leadership, along with help that Deb and Tabitha provided. And thanks to everyone who donated, bid, ate chili and enjoyed the day. Bravo! Ironic thanks to Richard for leading the charge to shave my head. I’m tempted to make our next fundraiser a beard shaving event…just sayin’!

Anyway, we prepared for that event with a trip to Feed My Starving Children the day before. Service mixed with fellowship, exactly how church should be. Thanks to the Weavers for setting that up, and for all who joined the team. And three cheers for another good year for the community garden, our third in total. It’s closed now for the winter; thanks to Al and Kimberly for their hard work.

Sadly, church isn’t simply the fun events, the service days, the weekly worship. It’s also about bearing witness to God’s eternal promises when a community member dies. We had two deaths last month, in two days- Ruth and Pat, beloved women each. Thanks to Jeremae and LeAnn for their musical offerings to Pat’s Memorial service, and to the many who arranged chairs and flowers, brought cookies and bars, and otherwise ensured full hospitality for that sad, but beautiful, day.

Triumph and heartbreak, welcome and loss. Church can sometimes feel rollercoaster-like, amen?! I, for one, was exhausted that Sunday afternoon- emotionally, bodily, spiritually. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I doubt you would too. All that stuff- service, giving, laughing, loving, celebrating life’s fullness- it’s why church matters. It’s why we keep coming. It’s what honors and brings us closer to God.

Notice how many names I made an effort to thank specifically in those first few paragraphs. Had I space, I’d list many more. We can’t do any of this alone. And we don’t, praise the good Lord. It’s not like one person makes our church happen. I saw people who barely knew Pat take hours out of their days off to honor her memory. I saw long-time members who’ve given so much already participate with gusto in our auction and service. Truly, the spirituality of our church isn’t just personally focused; it’s not just about self-realization. It’s community driven, an always evolving exercise in gathering and being good partners through Christ’s love.

I like that definition of spirituality. It gets me to think broader than solo prayer or personal retreats. As much as I like that stuff and think it deepens my spiritual growth, it’s wise to admit that’s not sufficient. We grow spiritually when we help others, tear down tables, clean the kitchen after a funeral. In the giving of our time and efforts to serve a bigger purpose, our spirits expand. We grow.

It reminds me of an annual event to come in November- IOCP’s Community Sleep Out. You’ll remember that this yearly campaign raises funds for our local human services provider and good partner IOCP, i.e. the agency that most helps nearby neighbors in need. Starting with a prayer walk (5pm) and block party (6pm) at IOCP on Saturday, November 9 (which, by the way, I’m helping lead and emcee…), the Sleep Out will continue through the year’s end with various events and chances to give. The point, of course, is that no one person can end homelessness or poverty. But if enough good people of good will work together in our community, incredible things can happen.

IOCP’s director likes to say, “There’s nothing more powerful than a community that discovers what it cares about.” I think that’s true, when I see the broader community give to help poor neighbors, when I see you work together to honor God and love each other. Being a community that cares isn’t always easy; sweat and tears are occasional requirements. But it’s better than not caring. Because it nurtures that most divine of all God’s gifts- Love.



Grace and Peace,

Shane
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Creating reality…

Some words don’t just describe the world. They change the world. Simply saying something can make something new happen.

This isn’t news, right? You’ve witnessed this dynamic before. When a couple utters “I do,” something previously unknown arises. These people are now married! Their words created. Some call this “performative speech” or “speech acts,” i.e. utterances that do something, and don’t simply communicate. “Let there be light…”

I thought about speech acts recently, as Washington politicians debated the national budget and debt limit. Congresspersons and the president attempt speech acts often, through their public appearances. For instance, many say something like, “The American people believe…” followed by a demand for their party’s preferred position. In some ways, this is arrogant speech; the “American people” have diverse beliefs. But at a deeper level, the politician’s trying to create the support she desires by convincing listeners- us- we’re part of her vision for “the American people”.

But during this recent shutdown, I listened to many words besides what politicians said; those of voters, neighbors, church members, us. And many weren’t intended as speech acts, I think. They were declarations of annoyance. If the “American people” agree on anything, it seems to be, “(Insert politician’s name here) is an idiot!”

Full confession: I said those words. I wasn’t happy with the shutdown. And when I spoke with others about it, I was quick to insult elected officials too. Perhaps that’s simply a way to discuss politics while not offending others. If you’re bashing politicians, you don’t risk upsetting your neighbor with political beliefs he doesn’t share. But I’ve begun worrying that these speech patterns have potentially dangerous consequences. The more we complain about our leaders, after all, the greater our anger becomes. Which could move these conversations from communication into performance. I’m concerned it’s creating a culture so distrusting of political leadership it’s impossible to accept anything they do. Then, we complain more. Leaders lose more trust to make decisions. Negative, destructive feedback loop ensues.

The Bible advocates for good leadership and governance. It’s a necessary condition for God’s Kingdom come on earth. Scripture’s often critical about bad governance, calling us to agitate for justice, freedom and peace. But it accepts the need for government and wants it to work well for everyone. Which isn’t to say it clearly commands a certain type of government. Large, small, democratic, republican, Scripture’s silent on such things. So Biblical people can be politically diverse; it’s healthy, in fact, that we don’t all vote the same. But one thing we shouldn’t do, as Biblical people, is bash “government” per se, or treat politicians as scapegoats, even when we justly feel let down by them. Partly, that’s about performative speech. The more we toxify the political environment, the worse it gets and the more disillusioned we become. Then, the only people who engage are selfish interest groups or extreme “true believers,” which rarely appears to help government behave more holy. But it’s also about the basic spiritual principle that Christ followers “love kindness.” Even if we’re upset with politicians, we still need to be kind. That’s something Christians do.

So here’s my “takeaway” from the recent shutdown debate: I want to stop insulting politicians, and instead engage in speech acts of gratitude for government. Not that I love every decision elected officials make, but theirs is a tough job, and even those I wouldn’t vote for, I’m convinced, are usually good people trying their best. Plus, because my Christian responsibility is to use my power- at the ballot box, with donations, my speech- to make life better, I feel a need to subvert this emerging culture of political disgust. Our nation faces many challenges from climate change to staggering government debt that it can’t tackle if those charged to lead us can’t ever earn our trust. But achieving that trust isn’t just about them. It’s also about our willingness to engage, to hope, God forbid, we can do good things together. I believe that starts with us, with me, with my desire to follow Christ’s ways by loving kindness and creating a world of grateful encouragement through what I say.

Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!

A Message from our intern…

Out of the Transcendentalist Movement of the 1880’s, there came, what we call the Mental Sciences. The form of prayer that I am introducing you to today comes out of that movement, which later transformed into the New Thought movement, of which my faith tradition comes out of. I am grateful to be able to share this with you today. I am richly blessed!

Many people do not pray because they don’t know how. Religious Science offers these five steps to cover all the elements needed for effective prayer when prayed with sincerity and openness to receive.


This positive prayer technique is based on the concept of Oneness: an understanding that our minds are facets of the One Mind that we call God or Spirit, and that we have a connection with the Divine guidance, provision, power and compassion of God. We pray to become clearer receivers for the good already in store for us, so we talk to ourselves—to our own minds, to bring about change in our thinking that harmonizes with the good we desire.

All prayers are prayers for healing, whether physical or relational, for the removal of blockage and contradiction to reveal our good. As St. Augustine says, “Miracles are not contrary to the laws of nature; they are only contrary to what we know about the laws of nature.” The real purpose of prayer is to directly experience the Presence of God in our lives. True prayer is to practice the Presence of God.

Jesus said that it is done to us as we believe. Our thoughts create the reality that we live in. So, simply put, if you change how you think, you can change how you live. I remember it as C+B=A. Conceiving through imagination and inspiration, plus Believing through faith equals Achieving. “If God be for me, who can be against me”?

The 5 steps of prayer can be remembered as “Are You Ready To Receive- or AURTR”. Let me walk through these steps with you.

1. Recognition. There is but One God, the Source of everything. As I turn away from the condition that I am experiencing, and focus just on God, I recognize that , first and foremost, there is God. As Gandhi says, “ You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it.” (paraphrased) I life my consciousness from where I am currently to the awareness that there is a Being (God) that has a higher, more clear picture of the situation. I Realize that there is that Reality, that Presence, God, the Omnipotent Good.

2. Unification. I unify my consciousness with this One, God. All have been created out of God. Therefore, since I am created out of God, I unify myself with my Creator. I am a child of
God. I am raising my consciousness to the awareness that God created me out of the desire to create me in His own likeness and image. That Mind of God is within me, as my mind.

3. Realize. The words that we speak here are from a higher consciousness, built upon by the first two steps. The words or thoughts we have here are not ordinary thoughts or words, but are the result of a higher inspiration or higher intuition. We are receiving the answer to the prayer before we are actually articulating the prayer. This is what the Bible means when it says, “Before they call I will answer.”

4. Thanksgiving. Gratitude provides the additional power towards the manifestation of the prayer. It is like a booster. The attitude of gratitude is very important. Thanksgiving is simply the statement of gratitude from a grateful heart that feels so blessed by God to have been given insight into the nature of God.

5. Release. As we close our prayer, we are returning to our everyday conscious mind and we have great faith that the creative power of the Spirit will transform our prayer into physical reality. To release is to let go and trust God, the creator of all, and to know, really know that our prayer has already been answered. We might not know “how” or “when”, that is left up to God, but we know that it will, has come about.

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Nice Table…

While visiting Turkey in August, Tabitha and I toured many ancient churches. In one place, communities carved a complex of breathtaking chapels and crypts into white stone cliffs. In another location, even older networks of underground tunnels were dug into mountainous terrain. For millennia, various cultures hid in these caves while threatening forces sought their extermination.

One such culture was Christian, fleeing persecution from an intolerant Roman Empire nearly 2000 years ago. They dug out places for sleeping, eating, making wine, and burying the dead. And there was a church, in Eastern Orthodox style; priests led worship from the front, beneath an arched nave honoring God. And between this back wall and the standing congregation sat a small rectangular stone. Was it an altar? A table? Would the distinction matter? Maybe… Because in the nearby “newer” churches (10th-13th centuries), similar stone blocks also appeared in cave churches. But these were uniformly set against the back wall, underneath the arch. The change must’ve been intentional. It signaled a changed theology.

I suspect this newer theology was “altar theology,” which is my term, nothing technical. It’s familiar to us, though, since many churches have “altars”, structures that recall ancient animal sacrifice. Labeling one in church makes a claim about Jesus’ role in faith. He, this theory goes, was the Lamb of God whose death took away the sin of the world. In many churches that teach such beliefs, the communion elements- bread and wine- rest on a back wall ‘altar’ during worship. Being so holy, they must be set apart from us sinful masses, brought forward only when priests distribute them for our salvation.

But the really old church carved in protected caves shares something with Plymouth Creek’s sanctuary, right? The resting place of communion elements was in the midst of, not apart from, the congregation. And we describe that piece of worship furniture as “The Table,” not an altar. What’s going on? Something important, or is it simply semantics?

Well, to some, it’s semantics; Altar, Table, no real difference. Sure, where you put it in church could signal something about God’s nearness to God’s people or God’s distance. In the 1960s, many Catholic altars were removed from the back and placed nearer the pews, suggesting an opening to greater respect for people’s inherent goodness. But it remained an altar, by intention, a slab on which sacrifice was offered. And many Disciples of Christ believe similar theology, simply disagreeing about the priest/pastor’s role in distributing bread and cup.

I, however, make a point to always use Table, never Altar, though I respect our right to different beliefs. But here’s mine. Like most Christians historically, I think communion is the center of worship. Preaching’s wonderful. Music rocks. Bread and Cup, though, take center stage. My reason is a) Jesus told us to share them whenever we gather, and I’ve decided to follow Jesus. And b) they represent to me the core of God’s promise. God offers everyone new life, relentless grace, unbounded forgiveness, unto eternity. The bread and cup symbolize the foundation of that promise- Christ resurrected in our midst. In other words, communion to me is a ritual of life restored, not death repeated. Sure, from a purely practical perspective, Christ’s death and sacrifice was necessary before he could rise again. But he rose again! And that’s the critical point.

An altar, to my mind, makes death the center of worship. Yet I believe Christ conquered death unto forever. A Table, by contrast, gathers people together to share and receive elements of life abundant. Bread to nourish our souls. Wine to delight our senses. Resurrection to lead us forward. I’m unsure if that’s what the earliest Christians believed when they huddled in caves, hiding from death. But they placed a stone slab in their midst, and persevered through persecution. And their faith survived to offer us new life still. So the next time you’re in worship, remember their faithful struggles when you join me at the Table. And remember Jesus’ sacrifice, made good through resurrection. Then go invite the world into grace.

Grace and Peace,
Shane
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On a move…

I had a seminary colleague who ended every email, letter- heck, even conversation sometimes!- with the phrase, “On a move…” For him, Christian living was a perpetual motion endeavor. That makes sense to me. One fundamental metaphor for faith is discipleship. Which is to say, a relationship between us and Jesus where Christ leads and we follow.

And this month at Plymouth Creek, it seems that movement will be happening. Several initiatives are in the works that I’m excited to take part in, or just follow others in service of Christ. For starters, Sunday School returns, later than normal I admit. Having spent the summer on a move around southeastern Europe, I put fall planning on a back burner. Now that I’ve returned, however, I’m anxious to get started again, as I mentioned last week. The plan will be to integrate our worship experiences with our Sunday learning experiences. We’re exploring classic scripture stories all fall, ones I first learned as a child. Encountering them again as adults, I suspect, will yield fresh insights and inspirations. So while I preach on, say, Noah’s Arc or Paul’s conversion, we’ll reflect on Creation Care or mental health. Plus, intern Lyle will lead adults before service in Lectio Divina (sacred reading), using those scriptures. This form of spiritual, prayerful conversation is quite powerful, I’ve found. I hope you will too. But I’ll be leading youth and children through these stories in other ways. So join us at 9 and get on a move before service begins.

So that…after service, we can do more exciting ministries and fellowship activities. Like on October 13, when said intern Lyle will offer a Pet Blessing service to our members and neighbors. Bring your pets to church, or if that’s too hard or you’ve lost beloved animal friends, feel free to come with pictures. After service, he’ll gather us on the north lawn outside our sanctuary and celebrate before God these wonderful relationships. I think this activity entirely appropriate for a community whose values include, “friendly, intimate community.” For many of us, pets are primary companions. God honors the joy we receive through them, I believe. So invite neighbors and friends, and/or ask Lyle how you can help. Let’s make this another great ministry moment! I mean, if you’ve ever had a pup like my crazy Fawkes, you know that life with them is often on a move too…

Then, the next weekend, we’re moving again, beginning Saturday morning, 8:15 at church. Chana Weaver has organized a trip to Feed My Starving Children where we’ll pack food for international people in need. The bus leaves from church then, or if you’d prefer, meet us at FMSC in Coon Rapids at 9am. Let me or Chana know you’re coming. Movement towards serving sounds very Christian, amen?!

And finally, the next day at church - October 20- I’m betting my hair on your ability to invite neighbors to experience grace. I’ve said before, and I’ll throw down the gauntlet again: if we get 100 folk in worship, I’ll shave my head! Part of that is simply about us doing what we ought, which is reaching out to others. But it’s also a way to include more people in after-church activities that day. We’re hosting a chili cook-off; members bring their favorite chili, and anyone who comes can eat for free. However, if they want to “vote” on which chili is the best, they’re encouraged to donate money- most cash raised wins! After the cook-off, people can bid to purchase a variety of goods and services donated by church members. My offering will be five pounds of homemade sausage, whatever variety preferred by the highest bidder. Funds raised will go to support the church and our various ministries together.

So how’s that for movement, Plymouth Creek?! Learning, service, fellowship, fun. There’s still time, of course, for more fall ministry offerings, if you’re feeling spunky and creative. The point is that we followers of Jesus, though appreciative of occasional moments to stop and smell God’s roses, can also show our devotion to our great champion in heaven working and moving and striving, together!

Grace and Peace,
Shane

P.S. - I’m leading a day trip on October 9 to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to explore their new exhibit, “Sacred,” a collection of art reflecting on that theme. Leaving from church at 10am. Let me know if you’re coming Read more!