I got on Channel 12 news last week. They aired maybe five seconds of a five-minute interview I gave. So I baaaaarely made the news. Still, I’m glad for the inclusion because my very presence- I think- accomplished something that matters. Let me explain.
I knew almost nothing about Islam on September 11, 2001. The super traditional Christian high school I attended taught me a little about Muslim theology, in a class designed to help us argue about why We were right, They were wrong and non-Christians were destined for Hell if they don’t become “Us”.
Anyway, the point is that most everything I’ve encountered about one the world’s great religions has come in the aftermath of Islamist extremists attacking Americans. I’ve told you before that I’ve tried taking that education seriously, given the outsized impact that Islam has played on subsequent global events. Unfortunately, too many of our fellow citizens decided that learning about this religion wasn’t necessary. They saw enough when terrorists attacked, thus deciding that Islam is suspect and violent and Muslims are probably evil until proven otherwise.
We’ve gotten better as a society since that began. Muslims figure more prominently in public life now. Non-Muslim allies stand more consistently alongside neighbors. When our local mosque went before the city council for a building permit four years ago, there was barely a fight. Bravo to all!
Yet struggles endure. Some fellow citizens still call our President a secret Muslim, as if being Muslim is a slur. Mosques are protested by “concerned citizens.” An Islamic Cemetery in our state was rejected recently. Schoolkids in our suburb who wear headscarves report being ridiculed, picked on, asked if they’re planning to blow something up. That’s not setting anyone up for a better future.
Thus, I believe, it remains critical for Christians- still our country’s dominant religious group- to use our position of societal privilege to lend support to Muslim neighbors. Better yet, we should get to know each other! Learn not just about but from each other. Members of our nearby mosque are super accommodating toward that. Last week, I sat and chatted with several. One even tried converting me! But it was without the pressure or threat of Hell I’ve heard from fellow Christians. This guy just really loved Allah and hoped I would too. Fair enough. Won’t happen, but I wasn’t offended. By the way, pray for the guy, since his parents live in Syria.
Back to the news. Muslim integration into broader society needs more than changed attitudes, but changed power structures. We’ll have made the progress we need when Muslims run for public office without harassment, or Muslim professionals sit on local civic boards regularly. Well, I love our local social service provider- IOCP- and their annual fundraising campaign began last weekend, as you know. This year, the local mosque joined in, organizing an event of their own in the campaign, for the first time. Wahoo!
Specifically, a high schooler challenged her community to raise money and awareness to help neighbors in need by giving to IOCP. And they did. And with that simple act, our local community became more integrated, more structurally welcoming to Muslims. After all, if we’re raising money together, they are no longer “Them.” They are Us. Channel 12’s story drove that home. Because the spot wasn’t highlighting the mosque as a mosque. The theme wasn’t “Local Muslims Are Good People Too!” The story was about suburban homelessness, how it’s rising, how Plymouth residents and faith communities are responding. The mosque was the story’s example, not its focus. And that made all the difference.
Thus, my couple words were about homeless people. Not Muslims. Nevertheless, the screen read “Rev. Shane Isner,” meaning that the high-priced seminary degree I got to allow me that Reverend title was lent for this brief moment to normalizing interfaith, multicultural community. Essentially, it communicated, “Of course, Christians and Muslims work together to solve local problems.” As it should be. After all, there’s no litmus test for whether you’ve included in the Kingdom of God. All are welcome. Let’s continue making sure our actions contribute to that coming more fully on earth.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Friday, November 6, 2015
Holiday habits…
We just made it through Halloween. I believe this was the last annually-occurring “significant moment” before our first anniversary as foster parents. The little guy arrived in November last year, so we had him for Christmas, Easter, summer vacation, Back to School, etc. But we hadn’t shopped for and wore costumes with him. Now we have. Check!
I think we did alright. A friend encouraged us to join her and her cousin at ValleyFair. I’d never been to this amusement park; was happy to try it. T, at first, was uncertain. Then, he found a room in which he could run around and shoot soft balls at us with air cannons. That was awesome, obviously. Things looked up. He even attempted two rollercoasters. Being Halloween, they had staff stationed near several rides for “Trick or Treating.” T liked that too! And that, basically, was all we did.
We arrived home near dark. So we made a brief appearance at our neighborhood community center. They were hosting a “Halloween Party”, i.e. costumes, kids’ games, candy. But we decided against actual Trick or Treating. After all, T’s not obsessed with candy. Neither are we big on giving him extra sugar. Besides, he gets nervous about new things, like strange houses and people. All in all, I think that was a good decision.
Part of me, however, worries that I “robbed” him of a quintessential experience of American childhood. I know, I know, “There’s always next year.” But who knows if we’ll have him next year? Or, even if we do, once you do something one way, it has a habit of becoming habit, right? A one-off activity easily transforms into precedent. Thus, next October, maybe he’ll decide that rollercoasters is what Halloween “means,” and beg we go again. Suppose the same transpires the following year. Suddenly, it’s tradition!
Would I want that? Well, in that unlikely scenario, I’d be glad to not fight every November over how fast bags of sugar get ingested. But once something becoming “tradition,” oftentimes other options get sidetracked, poo-pooed or simply forgotten. What “feels right” is what you’ve always done. Changing course can oftentimes be painful. You may even require a strong, outside force to force the issue (like skyrocketing ticket prices!).
Now, apply that thinking to religion. Our beloved Christian Season is coming. Churches and families have many things they “always do” during Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. People eat specific foods. Congregations light particular candles. Musicians play exactly the songs we expect, and they better not forget, because without “Silent Night” the season is meaningless, amen?! Amen…? Obviously, I jest. But not entirely. People protect Holiday Traditions with ferocious loyalty.
One reason we love these traditions, of course, is exactly because they’re familiar. We often provide other rationales too, tied to the stories and theologies of Christ’s birth. And some of those are great! Other times, though, it’s transparent we haven’t thought the issue fully through. For instance, every year, Christians ask about the precise details of Advent Wreath Candles. “Is this Joy Candle Sunday, or Peace Candle Sunday?” As if that’s in the Bible. Which, of course, it isn’t. It became a tradition because someone had a good idea once that others copied, continued copying, and now we assume each Sunday has one precise “meaning.”
So how about this year we commit to opening ourselves to new practices, new possibilities? For Adult Sunday School, I’ll teach about different Advent traditions from around the Christian World. Hopefully, we’ll discover interesting and fresh holiday ideas we never thought to think about. Along with that, perhaps you’ll pause to ponder what else you do; the foods you cook, the decorations you put up, the attitudes you change, the giving you plan. When you do so, think specifically about whether you do this stuff with purpose and joy, or whether they’re simply habits you’ve fallen into.
If the former, bravo! If the latter, you needn’t change, necessarily. You can! More importantly, though, I hope you’ll be fully thoughtful about your Holiday traditions and activities. Because I heard somewhere once that this season- done well- can bring tidings…of great joy… That’s right, isn’t it?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
I think we did alright. A friend encouraged us to join her and her cousin at ValleyFair. I’d never been to this amusement park; was happy to try it. T, at first, was uncertain. Then, he found a room in which he could run around and shoot soft balls at us with air cannons. That was awesome, obviously. Things looked up. He even attempted two rollercoasters. Being Halloween, they had staff stationed near several rides for “Trick or Treating.” T liked that too! And that, basically, was all we did.
We arrived home near dark. So we made a brief appearance at our neighborhood community center. They were hosting a “Halloween Party”, i.e. costumes, kids’ games, candy. But we decided against actual Trick or Treating. After all, T’s not obsessed with candy. Neither are we big on giving him extra sugar. Besides, he gets nervous about new things, like strange houses and people. All in all, I think that was a good decision.
Part of me, however, worries that I “robbed” him of a quintessential experience of American childhood. I know, I know, “There’s always next year.” But who knows if we’ll have him next year? Or, even if we do, once you do something one way, it has a habit of becoming habit, right? A one-off activity easily transforms into precedent. Thus, next October, maybe he’ll decide that rollercoasters is what Halloween “means,” and beg we go again. Suppose the same transpires the following year. Suddenly, it’s tradition!
Would I want that? Well, in that unlikely scenario, I’d be glad to not fight every November over how fast bags of sugar get ingested. But once something becoming “tradition,” oftentimes other options get sidetracked, poo-pooed or simply forgotten. What “feels right” is what you’ve always done. Changing course can oftentimes be painful. You may even require a strong, outside force to force the issue (like skyrocketing ticket prices!).
Now, apply that thinking to religion. Our beloved Christian Season is coming. Churches and families have many things they “always do” during Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. People eat specific foods. Congregations light particular candles. Musicians play exactly the songs we expect, and they better not forget, because without “Silent Night” the season is meaningless, amen?! Amen…? Obviously, I jest. But not entirely. People protect Holiday Traditions with ferocious loyalty.
One reason we love these traditions, of course, is exactly because they’re familiar. We often provide other rationales too, tied to the stories and theologies of Christ’s birth. And some of those are great! Other times, though, it’s transparent we haven’t thought the issue fully through. For instance, every year, Christians ask about the precise details of Advent Wreath Candles. “Is this Joy Candle Sunday, or Peace Candle Sunday?” As if that’s in the Bible. Which, of course, it isn’t. It became a tradition because someone had a good idea once that others copied, continued copying, and now we assume each Sunday has one precise “meaning.”
So how about this year we commit to opening ourselves to new practices, new possibilities? For Adult Sunday School, I’ll teach about different Advent traditions from around the Christian World. Hopefully, we’ll discover interesting and fresh holiday ideas we never thought to think about. Along with that, perhaps you’ll pause to ponder what else you do; the foods you cook, the decorations you put up, the attitudes you change, the giving you plan. When you do so, think specifically about whether you do this stuff with purpose and joy, or whether they’re simply habits you’ve fallen into.
If the former, bravo! If the latter, you needn’t change, necessarily. You can! More importantly, though, I hope you’ll be fully thoughtful about your Holiday traditions and activities. Because I heard somewhere once that this season- done well- can bring tidings…of great joy… That’s right, isn’t it?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Finding Jesus…
Remember those “Where’s Waldo” books? I’m sure they still exist. But they’re not as popular as I remember from my youth. I spent hours staring at these colorful cartoons, drawn in minute detail, illustrated scenes of Paris or Egypt, or of underwater landscapes, or wild dreamscapes. The possibilities were limitless! But somewhere in each drawing, we were promised, was a man named Waldo who always had the same innocent smile, waving hand, candy-stripe shirt. He often was hard to locate in these elaborate, detailed illustrations, but he was always there. And that was the game: finding Waldo.
Advent approaches. For many Christians who’ve attended church faithfully for years, the season’s arrival is welcome. We know well the rhythms of gift-seeking and giving. We’ve memorized many of the carols. The Jesus stories we repeat are among our most cherished tales; the infant lowly, the beautiful babe of Bethlehem born.
And yet, for all that, the season can sometimes feel boring, repetitive. “Do I have to sing another verse of O Come All Ye Faithful? I have only so much ‘Glo’ in me.” Or, “Preacher, please, stop trying to sound suspenseful. We’ve ‘waited for Jesus’ before. They always find room for his birth.”
At least, that mix has often churned within me. I want to embrace the specialness of The Holidays, yet worry about enduring bad reruns. What’s the new angle? The “fresh take”? The exciting idea that’ll inspire us to sing earnestly with angels this year, rather than drone on in poor harmony?
Well, my 2015 answer may not be perfect, but here’s a go. Like Waldo, Jesus can be tough to “find” on a consistent basis. Not always. Sometimes he nearly jumps off the page in the story of my life; when I need forgiveness, when I notice a bursting sunset, when a moving hymn reminds me that life eternal has already begun. Other times, however, he’s hidden; when I read about Syria’s civil war, when I watch police and residents in my neighborhood eye each other warily, when I worry about my foster son’s future. And that concerns me, since those moments of “Where’s Jesus” occur with unwelcome regularity.
Besides, they matter a lot! When I used to find Waldo, I smiled briefly, then turned the page. When I find Jesus, by contrast, I feel more than proud of my eyesight. I encounter God. I fill with peace. I’m challenged to overcome placidness with holiness and strive more for God’s Kingdom. In other words, life is better.
“Where’s Waldo” was a game. Finding Jesus promises the resurrecting power of love as the inspiration of every day. I want more of that finding. I hope you do too. Thus, our theme for Advent 2015 (which begins at November’s End) will be Finding Jesus.
Practically speaking, that means we’re going to treat the familiar Christmas stories as clues for where we might perceive the power, purpose and presence of holiness in our lives more dependably. After all, Jesus shows up in many diverse places in these Christmas stories: on the tongues of angels, in the dreams of shepherds and magi, in the nightmares of kings, in a smelly stable, in the hearts of his Holy Mother and Father. I.e. throughout a world desperate for salvation.
I think that each of those places where Christ “arrives” in the Christmas stories offers a clue for where we might find Christ in our own lives. Do you sometimes wonder, “Where’s Jesus”? Then join me in discovering where he’s been before in order to learn where he might be going next.
Or, better to say, where he is already. Because, as we know from decades of faithful worship, Advent’s a time of waiting for what’s already arrived: Light for the World, Salvation for Sinners, Hope for the Oppressed, Love without End. Put on your Holy Ghost Glasses this year and prepare to look for that gift with me. The finding may be easy sometimes, tricky at other times, but always worth the effort since God is good, all the time. So let’s find God more- in Jesus- together!
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Advent approaches. For many Christians who’ve attended church faithfully for years, the season’s arrival is welcome. We know well the rhythms of gift-seeking and giving. We’ve memorized many of the carols. The Jesus stories we repeat are among our most cherished tales; the infant lowly, the beautiful babe of Bethlehem born.
And yet, for all that, the season can sometimes feel boring, repetitive. “Do I have to sing another verse of O Come All Ye Faithful? I have only so much ‘Glo’ in me.” Or, “Preacher, please, stop trying to sound suspenseful. We’ve ‘waited for Jesus’ before. They always find room for his birth.”
At least, that mix has often churned within me. I want to embrace the specialness of The Holidays, yet worry about enduring bad reruns. What’s the new angle? The “fresh take”? The exciting idea that’ll inspire us to sing earnestly with angels this year, rather than drone on in poor harmony?
Well, my 2015 answer may not be perfect, but here’s a go. Like Waldo, Jesus can be tough to “find” on a consistent basis. Not always. Sometimes he nearly jumps off the page in the story of my life; when I need forgiveness, when I notice a bursting sunset, when a moving hymn reminds me that life eternal has already begun. Other times, however, he’s hidden; when I read about Syria’s civil war, when I watch police and residents in my neighborhood eye each other warily, when I worry about my foster son’s future. And that concerns me, since those moments of “Where’s Jesus” occur with unwelcome regularity.
Besides, they matter a lot! When I used to find Waldo, I smiled briefly, then turned the page. When I find Jesus, by contrast, I feel more than proud of my eyesight. I encounter God. I fill with peace. I’m challenged to overcome placidness with holiness and strive more for God’s Kingdom. In other words, life is better.
“Where’s Waldo” was a game. Finding Jesus promises the resurrecting power of love as the inspiration of every day. I want more of that finding. I hope you do too. Thus, our theme for Advent 2015 (which begins at November’s End) will be Finding Jesus.
Practically speaking, that means we’re going to treat the familiar Christmas stories as clues for where we might perceive the power, purpose and presence of holiness in our lives more dependably. After all, Jesus shows up in many diverse places in these Christmas stories: on the tongues of angels, in the dreams of shepherds and magi, in the nightmares of kings, in a smelly stable, in the hearts of his Holy Mother and Father. I.e. throughout a world desperate for salvation.
I think that each of those places where Christ “arrives” in the Christmas stories offers a clue for where we might find Christ in our own lives. Do you sometimes wonder, “Where’s Jesus”? Then join me in discovering where he’s been before in order to learn where he might be going next.
Or, better to say, where he is already. Because, as we know from decades of faithful worship, Advent’s a time of waiting for what’s already arrived: Light for the World, Salvation for Sinners, Hope for the Oppressed, Love without End. Put on your Holy Ghost Glasses this year and prepare to look for that gift with me. The finding may be easy sometimes, tricky at other times, but always worth the effort since God is good, all the time. So let’s find God more- in Jesus- together!
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Closing time…
I saw the band Semisonic in concert when I was 19. We wanted desperately for them to play their major hit, “Closing Time.” They waited to do so until the last song of their second and final encore. In retrospect, we should’ve expected that to happen. When a song’s lyrics include, “time for you to go out,” it’d be weird to finish that song and begin another, right?!
Anyway, another lyric reveals something I think our church should celebrate about the past few months. The singer croons, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” It’s a clever turn of phrase, but borders on trite sentimentality. I’m referencing it now, however, to speak of death and decay. And that’s always deep, amen?
Please don’t answer that question.
Instead, picture with me a pile of weeds and vines and tomato plants. We have several currently steeping on parts of our property. That is not, of course, the result of disregard for how we present ourselves to our community. Rather, earlier this year- thanks to Kimberly’s diligent efforts to enhance our Creation Care ministry- we received a composting grant from the county. Thousands of dollars were awarded us to create a system for composting organic waste from our building and grounds. Well done, church. Way cool! Thus, as we anticipate closing time for the garden this year (after church on the 25th; please help out!), we know that last spring’s new beginning won’t end for good. It’ll contribute to next year’s beginning.
Which is the point of composting. Organic material doesn’t keep its shape and composition forever. Just look at the withering leaves our foster kid taped to our walls as decorations (don’t ask…). Fortunately, this ending isn’t the story’s end. Nutrition emerges from decomposition. Seeds become trees that produce leaves that fall and become dirt within which new seeds become trees... Cue someone singing “Closing Time.” Or “Circle of Life.”
None of this is news. Nor is it news that, whatever the natural process, humans don’t especially like endings. Unless it’s a dentist appointment. The problem being, I suspect, that we’re aware of the endings of former new beginnings in a way that trees aren’t. We’re feel our bodies declining, see problems emerging (so we think) within communities, churches, nations, families, all portending an ending we weren’t wanting. So we don’t celebrate new new beginnings with gusto as readily as we might sometimes. Particularly when the ending in question is, say, a project we invested in or relationship that sustained us. It’s hard to see a new beginning that could replace what’s ended.
Thankfully, Christians can remember that the soil in which we reside- ultimately- is the soil of Christ’s resurrection. Call it divine composting (bad pun…sorry). In other words, we believe that not only was Jesus raised from the dead. Perhaps more important is that Jesus is God’s revelation to us, God’s unmasking the deeper truth of reality. So resurrection wasn’t a one-off event for Christ alone. It’s the structure of this world in which we live and move and have our being. Compost piles reflect that story, just as the abundant fertilizer of God’s mercy does too, along with the never-ending in-breaking of forgiveness to us and through us, we who follow Christ’s lead, who believe that life will always be more powerful than- indeed, will always overcome!- death itself.
The key is remembering that we don’t stop death and endings. Instead, we encounter resurrections, risings to new life, transformations from what was into what will be. A loss is painful and sad. That doesn’t mean you’ll never gain something again. A failure is heartbreaking and hard. That doesn’t mean you’ll never succeed at anything else. New beginnings emerge from the soil of God’s resurrection-infused reality all the time. They maybe came from a beloved former beginning’s ending. Organic composting process isn’t without breakdown, heat and churning. But through it all, resurrection and transformation are in process too.
So as you see those waste piles at church, remember they’re a sign of what God might be doing in your life too, if you’re willing for new life to rise again.
Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!
Anyway, another lyric reveals something I think our church should celebrate about the past few months. The singer croons, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” It’s a clever turn of phrase, but borders on trite sentimentality. I’m referencing it now, however, to speak of death and decay. And that’s always deep, amen?
Please don’t answer that question.
Instead, picture with me a pile of weeds and vines and tomato plants. We have several currently steeping on parts of our property. That is not, of course, the result of disregard for how we present ourselves to our community. Rather, earlier this year- thanks to Kimberly’s diligent efforts to enhance our Creation Care ministry- we received a composting grant from the county. Thousands of dollars were awarded us to create a system for composting organic waste from our building and grounds. Well done, church. Way cool! Thus, as we anticipate closing time for the garden this year (after church on the 25th; please help out!), we know that last spring’s new beginning won’t end for good. It’ll contribute to next year’s beginning.
Which is the point of composting. Organic material doesn’t keep its shape and composition forever. Just look at the withering leaves our foster kid taped to our walls as decorations (don’t ask…). Fortunately, this ending isn’t the story’s end. Nutrition emerges from decomposition. Seeds become trees that produce leaves that fall and become dirt within which new seeds become trees... Cue someone singing “Closing Time.” Or “Circle of Life.”
None of this is news. Nor is it news that, whatever the natural process, humans don’t especially like endings. Unless it’s a dentist appointment. The problem being, I suspect, that we’re aware of the endings of former new beginnings in a way that trees aren’t. We’re feel our bodies declining, see problems emerging (so we think) within communities, churches, nations, families, all portending an ending we weren’t wanting. So we don’t celebrate new new beginnings with gusto as readily as we might sometimes. Particularly when the ending in question is, say, a project we invested in or relationship that sustained us. It’s hard to see a new beginning that could replace what’s ended.
Thankfully, Christians can remember that the soil in which we reside- ultimately- is the soil of Christ’s resurrection. Call it divine composting (bad pun…sorry). In other words, we believe that not only was Jesus raised from the dead. Perhaps more important is that Jesus is God’s revelation to us, God’s unmasking the deeper truth of reality. So resurrection wasn’t a one-off event for Christ alone. It’s the structure of this world in which we live and move and have our being. Compost piles reflect that story, just as the abundant fertilizer of God’s mercy does too, along with the never-ending in-breaking of forgiveness to us and through us, we who follow Christ’s lead, who believe that life will always be more powerful than- indeed, will always overcome!- death itself.
The key is remembering that we don’t stop death and endings. Instead, we encounter resurrections, risings to new life, transformations from what was into what will be. A loss is painful and sad. That doesn’t mean you’ll never gain something again. A failure is heartbreaking and hard. That doesn’t mean you’ll never succeed at anything else. New beginnings emerge from the soil of God’s resurrection-infused reality all the time. They maybe came from a beloved former beginning’s ending. Organic composting process isn’t without breakdown, heat and churning. But through it all, resurrection and transformation are in process too.
So as you see those waste piles at church, remember they’re a sign of what God might be doing in your life too, if you’re willing for new life to rise again.
Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
After pain comes…
I’m not a baseball fan, per se. But I know that, for many, this is the best time of year. Major League Baseball Playoffs. That’s doubly so if your favorite team remains in the championship hunt!
Famously, the Major League team with the longest championship drought is the Chicago Cubs. Their last ultimate victory was 1908. A famous joke goes, “’What did Jesus say to the Cubs before he ascended?’ ‘Don’t do anything until I return!’” Thus, you’d forgive any Cubs’ fan from forgoing the old bromide, “There’s always next year…” If it were me, I may’ve have stopped saying that around, oh, the Korean War!
And yet…the Cubs are in the playoffs this year, leading people I know in/from/concerned with Chicago to brush off dreams of championship parades. I was in seminary in Chicago the last time this possibility arose. The town got crazy (including a world-renowned Bible scholar/professor of mine…funny story I’ll tell some another time). Then, as now, hope sprung eternal. You almost feel bad for them, right? How many times can folk get back up to hope again?
Among my favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now these three abide- faith, hope and love- and the greatest of these is love.” Good stuff about love. The further claim, though, that faith and hope are different, is also good stuff, worth exploring further.
For instance, suppose you say, “I have faith that the Cubs will win.” You’re making a prediction, right? You’re contending some knowledge about what will, or is most likely, to occur. By contrast, suppose you said, “I hope the Cubs will win.” This time, you’re sharing an aspiration. It may get crushed in a week, but you haven’t projected some claim about what is, or will be true. You’ve simply hoped.
Which might sound weak. But consider what Martin Luther- the great 16th century reformer- said about the difference between faith and hope: “Faith is the beginning of life, before all tribulation; hope proceeds from tribulation.” Translating from his outdated vocabulary, he’s saying that hope, properly speaking, can only arise after you’ve run into trouble. Hope means nothing if you’ve always avoided problems, always won. Yankee fans better not pretend to “hope.” They have too many trophies! Faith is important too, of course, but hope is the resilient partner in that pairing.
I find that claim inspiring. Consider again my previous suggestion that, after so long coming up short, Cubs’ fans should give up. After being beaten down consistently, should you ever hope again?! From the perspective of faith, yes! Indeed, it’s only because of our troubles, tribulations, encounters with sin, accepting of the need for forgiveness and justice, that we’re able to hope in the first place. If we never open our eyes to challenge, we’re creating fantasies.
Using sports as the analogy for this, I realize, is cheap. So consider, instead, a single mother desperate to keep her kids fed, an aging grandfather worrying how long he’ll remain independent, a student being bullied again and again. The terrible temptation in all those scenarios is accepting defeat, giving up and giving in, pretending that that your troubles truly define you, that you have no reason to hope. And yet…we serve this God who endured the worst, in Jesus, so that we’d see he came out best. And we will too. In other words, our faith in his victory should give us hope in our own.
Not that we can end every trouble forever, but that we can endure those that arise. Not that we’ll never be defeated, but that defeat need never define us. Not that we’ll get all we ever want, but that we can hope for better days, for the abundance of enough, for grace and peace to surround and inspire us. Only those who struggle can hope. Problems don’t prohibit you, they qualify you.
So if you’re hurting, believer that hope is waiting. You can claim it, can be made confident because of it. That’s not naïve. That’s faithful. That’s loving yourself, as God love you.
Also, since I’m writing this, well…Go Cubs.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Famously, the Major League team with the longest championship drought is the Chicago Cubs. Their last ultimate victory was 1908. A famous joke goes, “’What did Jesus say to the Cubs before he ascended?’ ‘Don’t do anything until I return!’” Thus, you’d forgive any Cubs’ fan from forgoing the old bromide, “There’s always next year…” If it were me, I may’ve have stopped saying that around, oh, the Korean War!
And yet…the Cubs are in the playoffs this year, leading people I know in/from/concerned with Chicago to brush off dreams of championship parades. I was in seminary in Chicago the last time this possibility arose. The town got crazy (including a world-renowned Bible scholar/professor of mine…funny story I’ll tell some another time). Then, as now, hope sprung eternal. You almost feel bad for them, right? How many times can folk get back up to hope again?
Among my favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now these three abide- faith, hope and love- and the greatest of these is love.” Good stuff about love. The further claim, though, that faith and hope are different, is also good stuff, worth exploring further.
For instance, suppose you say, “I have faith that the Cubs will win.” You’re making a prediction, right? You’re contending some knowledge about what will, or is most likely, to occur. By contrast, suppose you said, “I hope the Cubs will win.” This time, you’re sharing an aspiration. It may get crushed in a week, but you haven’t projected some claim about what is, or will be true. You’ve simply hoped.
Which might sound weak. But consider what Martin Luther- the great 16th century reformer- said about the difference between faith and hope: “Faith is the beginning of life, before all tribulation; hope proceeds from tribulation.” Translating from his outdated vocabulary, he’s saying that hope, properly speaking, can only arise after you’ve run into trouble. Hope means nothing if you’ve always avoided problems, always won. Yankee fans better not pretend to “hope.” They have too many trophies! Faith is important too, of course, but hope is the resilient partner in that pairing.
I find that claim inspiring. Consider again my previous suggestion that, after so long coming up short, Cubs’ fans should give up. After being beaten down consistently, should you ever hope again?! From the perspective of faith, yes! Indeed, it’s only because of our troubles, tribulations, encounters with sin, accepting of the need for forgiveness and justice, that we’re able to hope in the first place. If we never open our eyes to challenge, we’re creating fantasies.
Using sports as the analogy for this, I realize, is cheap. So consider, instead, a single mother desperate to keep her kids fed, an aging grandfather worrying how long he’ll remain independent, a student being bullied again and again. The terrible temptation in all those scenarios is accepting defeat, giving up and giving in, pretending that that your troubles truly define you, that you have no reason to hope. And yet…we serve this God who endured the worst, in Jesus, so that we’d see he came out best. And we will too. In other words, our faith in his victory should give us hope in our own.
Not that we can end every trouble forever, but that we can endure those that arise. Not that we’ll never be defeated, but that defeat need never define us. Not that we’ll get all we ever want, but that we can hope for better days, for the abundance of enough, for grace and peace to surround and inspire us. Only those who struggle can hope. Problems don’t prohibit you, they qualify you.
So if you’re hurting, believer that hope is waiting. You can claim it, can be made confident because of it. That’s not naïve. That’s faithful. That’s loving yourself, as God love you.
Also, since I’m writing this, well…Go Cubs.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Sleep out…
On the final Wednesday of every month, I wake up early to attend a board meeting of the local social services provider, IOCP. Partly, this is about raising our church’s community profile. It’s also about amplifying our church values. IOCP does incredible work assisting our most-in-need neighbors. Among similar agencies in the Twin Cities, few are their equal, like maybe 2 or 3 in terms of budget and impact. And since housing the homeless, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for struggling kids are the reasons we do church, then it makes sense we spend time and money to assist this good partner. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I groggily drive to morning meetings!
Well, it’s nearing November, and that means one thing to IOCP supporters: Sleep Out time! The Sleep Out is their largest annual campaign, raising nearly half their budget. It began twenty years ago, when Bob from “Bob’s Shoe Repair” in Wayzata decided to sleep outside during winter to raise funds for homeless neighbors. It’s grown from that solitary act of kindness into a community-wide event involving churches, schools, scout troops, businesses and more creatively dreaming up ways to raise money for and awareness of the poorest amongst us..
The most well-known of these events, of course, is people taking Bob’s lead and sleeping outside for a night, while asking friends, family, co-workers, etc. to sponsor their freezing evening. For years, Plymouth Creek folk did the same, though that’s faded in recent years. Perhaps because our youth and congregation aged. Or maybe people who once gave the event leadership wanted to do something else, and no one else stepped in. Which is how church should work. Don’t do what doesn’t inspire you simply because you think “that’s what’s supposed to happen.” Ugh. Jesus wants to lift our souls to singing. Make us uncomfortable sometimes to prod us toward more holiness? Sure. Make us dreary constantly by commanding we do stuff we don’t think matters? No way!
My other theory for why our (and other groups’) Sleep Out went away is that, without a youth group doing most of the sleeping, most adults say, “I’ve done it once; check,” and feel we’ve paid our dues. Our bodies, after all, respond less strongly than before; plus, we can write better checks than we could as youth. In other words, without an urgent reason to sleep out every year, why keep subjecting ourselves to the cold and stress?
If that guess is right, then I have a new reason for sleeping out this year that I wanted your feedback about. Several years ago, you’ll recall, a Muslim community (Northwest Islamic Center, aka NWICC) bought a building and planted roots just up the street. We’ve been on friendly terms since because Plymouth Creek believes in unity among God’s people, and doesn’t think that “having the same beliefs” is necessary for being good neighbors. Indeed, if more people of differing faiths would work together for a better world then…well…we’ll have a better world. And that’ll make Jesus ecstatic!
Anyway, NWICC continues exploring ways to be involved in their community. And I heard through the grapevine that they may be interested in hosting a sleep out for the first time, if they had a partner. That makes sense. It might seem rather daunting to jump into a community-wide campaign of this kind without a friend to jump with you.
So I’m wondering if some of y’all might be willing to sleep out with our Muslim neighbors?
I imagine we’d have fun together, learn about each others’ faith tradition, eat good food, whatever. But I only want to follow up on the possibility if enough PCCers commit to sleeping out that it would be worth everyone’s while. We can find a date later (maybe November 7?). The point is, this could be a fun way to connect again with this important event. And even if you’re uninterested or unable to sleep outside, I hope you’ll contribute to the campaign in another way. That way- together- we can build a better community for everyone.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Well, it’s nearing November, and that means one thing to IOCP supporters: Sleep Out time! The Sleep Out is their largest annual campaign, raising nearly half their budget. It began twenty years ago, when Bob from “Bob’s Shoe Repair” in Wayzata decided to sleep outside during winter to raise funds for homeless neighbors. It’s grown from that solitary act of kindness into a community-wide event involving churches, schools, scout troops, businesses and more creatively dreaming up ways to raise money for and awareness of the poorest amongst us..
The most well-known of these events, of course, is people taking Bob’s lead and sleeping outside for a night, while asking friends, family, co-workers, etc. to sponsor their freezing evening. For years, Plymouth Creek folk did the same, though that’s faded in recent years. Perhaps because our youth and congregation aged. Or maybe people who once gave the event leadership wanted to do something else, and no one else stepped in. Which is how church should work. Don’t do what doesn’t inspire you simply because you think “that’s what’s supposed to happen.” Ugh. Jesus wants to lift our souls to singing. Make us uncomfortable sometimes to prod us toward more holiness? Sure. Make us dreary constantly by commanding we do stuff we don’t think matters? No way!
My other theory for why our (and other groups’) Sleep Out went away is that, without a youth group doing most of the sleeping, most adults say, “I’ve done it once; check,” and feel we’ve paid our dues. Our bodies, after all, respond less strongly than before; plus, we can write better checks than we could as youth. In other words, without an urgent reason to sleep out every year, why keep subjecting ourselves to the cold and stress?
If that guess is right, then I have a new reason for sleeping out this year that I wanted your feedback about. Several years ago, you’ll recall, a Muslim community (Northwest Islamic Center, aka NWICC) bought a building and planted roots just up the street. We’ve been on friendly terms since because Plymouth Creek believes in unity among God’s people, and doesn’t think that “having the same beliefs” is necessary for being good neighbors. Indeed, if more people of differing faiths would work together for a better world then…well…we’ll have a better world. And that’ll make Jesus ecstatic!
Anyway, NWICC continues exploring ways to be involved in their community. And I heard through the grapevine that they may be interested in hosting a sleep out for the first time, if they had a partner. That makes sense. It might seem rather daunting to jump into a community-wide campaign of this kind without a friend to jump with you.
So I’m wondering if some of y’all might be willing to sleep out with our Muslim neighbors?
I imagine we’d have fun together, learn about each others’ faith tradition, eat good food, whatever. But I only want to follow up on the possibility if enough PCCers commit to sleeping out that it would be worth everyone’s while. We can find a date later (maybe November 7?). The point is, this could be a fun way to connect again with this important event. And even if you’re uninterested or unable to sleep outside, I hope you’ll contribute to the campaign in another way. That way- together- we can build a better community for everyone.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
What’s next…
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a newsletter letter introducing an upcoming sermon series. I apologize profusely. I’m certain you’ve been waiting in agony.
The thing is, we’ve been choosing scriptures on a week-to-week basis since last May’s Stewardship Campaign. I had a summer series idea, talked about it with the Servant Leaders, even began pairing some Sundays with certain scriptures. But you can guess why I waited to start, right? All together now…”The building project.” That’s been the answer to most questions about my time and focus these past months. You know the joke about how every answer to a Children’s Moment question is “Jesus”? It’s like that, even for worship. I was awaiting confirmation about the direction of that project before starting any new sermon focus..
Then summer gave way to fall, the building project was delayed, and then- in the past couple weeks- it’s been suspended, perhaps indefinitely (which I shared in my weekly email newsletter; hit me up at pastor@plymouthcreek.org if you want to subscribe!). FYI, the Board continues to gather information about that decision’s consequences. We’re waiting for feedback from partners regarding the full amount of outstanding costs (like architect fees, etc.). We’ll share what we know when we know it. In the meantime, if you want to donate further to help offset those costs…well, we wouldn’t say no! Still, one result is the sermon series plan I’d been working on will remain on the shelf. After all, without that project we have nothing important any longer to focus our efforts, our dreams, our growth, right?
Wrong! Obviously. I’d be lying if I said that 18+ months of work we put into that venture didn’t leave behind an unpleasant taste with it not proceeding. I’d also be lying if I said I believed that was a waste of time, resources and dreams. I’m no aged spiritual sage. But some wisdom I picked up on early in my minister journey is that God’s pathways and plans rarely involve straight lines forward. They almost never follow clear blueprints that God provides ahead of time to inspect. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet”; i.e. not a spotlight to my horizon!
Which is scary when we’re feeling uncertain, or wanting more control. More light God, please! But that also means that what seems sometimes like an “end”, may be something else entirely. What sounds like God’s “no”, might be another answer to a question we haven’t yet thought to ask.
In other words, God’s calling never ends. It changes. It adapts. It responds to our pitfalls and prizes. Constantly! But in the project that is “God’s Kingdom coming on Earth as in Heaven” – which is the project Jesus asked us to pray for and help make happen – there is no finale. There’s always new acts. Thus, the sermon series that will take us through Advent this year: There’s Always a Next; So What’s Next?! I mean for that to apply as much to your personal lives as our church’s direction.
Fortunately, our scriptures have many valuable ideas and stories that explore this theme. In some cases, the “next” was rest and healing. In other cases, people experienced new life. In still more cases, the issue was starting over, or ending well, or forgiveness, or following through on tough choices, or… The ultimate point being that our God has a vast, active imagination! Our God doesn’t leave us to flail when we’re needing new pathways and plans. God wants to help us create next chapters of hope and faith and grace.
Of course, high on our church’s agenda, now, is plotting such stories of “What’s next.” I know that’s also true for some of you, personally. So let’s discern and dream together, pray for faithfulness together, amen?! The alternative would be to stop hoping, lethargically sit around and wait for God’s voice to break through storm clouds of gloom and frustration gathering. But that sounds boring. Instead, we’ll be actively exploring this fall the wisdom of ancients who claimed that, with God, there’s always a next.
And they were right. After all, we’re here, praising God still.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
The thing is, we’ve been choosing scriptures on a week-to-week basis since last May’s Stewardship Campaign. I had a summer series idea, talked about it with the Servant Leaders, even began pairing some Sundays with certain scriptures. But you can guess why I waited to start, right? All together now…”The building project.” That’s been the answer to most questions about my time and focus these past months. You know the joke about how every answer to a Children’s Moment question is “Jesus”? It’s like that, even for worship. I was awaiting confirmation about the direction of that project before starting any new sermon focus..
Then summer gave way to fall, the building project was delayed, and then- in the past couple weeks- it’s been suspended, perhaps indefinitely (which I shared in my weekly email newsletter; hit me up at pastor@plymouthcreek.org if you want to subscribe!). FYI, the Board continues to gather information about that decision’s consequences. We’re waiting for feedback from partners regarding the full amount of outstanding costs (like architect fees, etc.). We’ll share what we know when we know it. In the meantime, if you want to donate further to help offset those costs…well, we wouldn’t say no! Still, one result is the sermon series plan I’d been working on will remain on the shelf. After all, without that project we have nothing important any longer to focus our efforts, our dreams, our growth, right?
Wrong! Obviously. I’d be lying if I said that 18+ months of work we put into that venture didn’t leave behind an unpleasant taste with it not proceeding. I’d also be lying if I said I believed that was a waste of time, resources and dreams. I’m no aged spiritual sage. But some wisdom I picked up on early in my minister journey is that God’s pathways and plans rarely involve straight lines forward. They almost never follow clear blueprints that God provides ahead of time to inspect. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet”; i.e. not a spotlight to my horizon!
Which is scary when we’re feeling uncertain, or wanting more control. More light God, please! But that also means that what seems sometimes like an “end”, may be something else entirely. What sounds like God’s “no”, might be another answer to a question we haven’t yet thought to ask.
In other words, God’s calling never ends. It changes. It adapts. It responds to our pitfalls and prizes. Constantly! But in the project that is “God’s Kingdom coming on Earth as in Heaven” – which is the project Jesus asked us to pray for and help make happen – there is no finale. There’s always new acts. Thus, the sermon series that will take us through Advent this year: There’s Always a Next; So What’s Next?! I mean for that to apply as much to your personal lives as our church’s direction.
Fortunately, our scriptures have many valuable ideas and stories that explore this theme. In some cases, the “next” was rest and healing. In other cases, people experienced new life. In still more cases, the issue was starting over, or ending well, or forgiveness, or following through on tough choices, or… The ultimate point being that our God has a vast, active imagination! Our God doesn’t leave us to flail when we’re needing new pathways and plans. God wants to help us create next chapters of hope and faith and grace.
Of course, high on our church’s agenda, now, is plotting such stories of “What’s next.” I know that’s also true for some of you, personally. So let’s discern and dream together, pray for faithfulness together, amen?! The alternative would be to stop hoping, lethargically sit around and wait for God’s voice to break through storm clouds of gloom and frustration gathering. But that sounds boring. Instead, we’ll be actively exploring this fall the wisdom of ancients who claimed that, with God, there’s always a next.
And they were right. After all, we’re here, praising God still.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
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