Repentance Liturgy for the Close of a Pastoral Appointment

This past Sunday was my second to last Sunday. I preached on Repentance as a part of Welcome (from Amy Oden's book God's Welcome where she says that as we learn to see through the other's eyes we realize the extent to which our perspective has become the only perspective. We thus repent, turn, change.) I wanted us to be able to find closure to any old hurts so that the congregation and I don't take them forward into new relationships, new opportunities to Welcome God in others. Yet when I looked for a liturgy I was unable to find one. This is what I created instead. Hope it helps someone else:

Response to the Word

Liturgy of Reconciliation

Pastor: Over the last _____ years you have welcomed me into your pulpit and into your lives. You have needed me in times of crisis and times of celebration. I have been humbled by that welcome. 

Yet there have been ways and times that I have not served you well. Where I have hurt you with my actions or inaction, with things I have said or left unsaid. I invite you to bring to mind any of those times where I have let you down or hurt you. (pause) I repent of my sin and seek a new path, I grieve my limitations, and I am truly sorry for ways I have hurt and disappointed you. I ask for your forgiveness. 

SPRC Chair leads congregation: As Christ forgives us, we forgive you. 

Pastor: Because we are all broken people, there may have been times when you have hurt me as well. I invite you to bring to mind any times where you have hurt me, our relationship, or our ministry with your actions or inaction, with things you have said or left unsaid. (pause) 

SPRC Chair & Congregation: We ask your forgiveness for ways we have hurt you and sins we have committed against you.

Pastor:  As Christ has forgiven me, I forgive you. Having reconciled with one another, let us confess our sins to God and be reconciled with him.

All: Gracious and loving God, we are broken people. We have not done your will, we have harmed ourselves, each other, and your creation. We long for healing and wholeness but need your guidance to find it. Forgive us, we pray and turn us onto your path.

Pastor: Hear this good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, that proves his love for us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

SPRC Chair Congregation: In the Name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.

All: In the asking and receiving of forgiveness we turn toward a new path of healing, wholeness, and freedom. We release ourselves and each other from the brokenness of the past and we turn toward the future freed by God's grace.

Forbidden Fruit

I walked with Micah to the store today. As I walked toward the main street, I saw again the picturesque path leading away from the road. I see it multiple times every day. It seems so out of place in our suburbanesque neighborhood. It runs along the creak and the trees are so dense that it looks like a little forest stuck between two yards. The path runs alongside this "forest" and back into the unknown.

In my head, I know the path is some little used, alternate dirt driveway for one of the houses nearby, yet it calls to me. The call is only made stronger by the clear "Posted" sign just a little way down the track.

Today the path leads in the direction I'm heading. I think to myself, I could just see if it takes me around and up to the main road. Or perhaps it leads to the next subdivision. But no, it is marked, and so I obey the rules and walk toward the main road with visions of "Second Hand Lions" running through my head for reinforcement.

Yet the draw continues. On my way back from the store I think about that path. Maybe, just maybe, the posted notice is just about hunting. Perhaps it has nothing to do with innocent strangers taking a stroll along a beautiful path by the creak and the woods. And so I plan my route to get as close to the sign as I can. As I get closer, I justify going up the path so I can read the fine print under the word "Posted." The path looks perfect. It makes me forget about my aching feet and back and the fact that Micah has only just stopped his quiet protesting at being carried.

As I read the sign, my hope increases. No hunting or fishing it says! I was right! I was right to take a closer look! Four years of longing to explore this path, and all it took was a closer look! But it doesn't stop there. Absolutely no hunting fishing or trespassing for any reason. My heart sinks. I take a couple steps closer. If I haven't passed the "Posted" sign, perhaps it isn't yet trespassing? I move toward the "forest" and drink in the view.

I force myself to turn away. The longing to explore continues but I comfort myself by knowing that at least it makes a good sermon illustration.

Bridging the Gap

My favorite season is Advent. Growing up, my family did a great job of embodying the season of Advent. We had joy as the decorations went up. We had anticipation as we did the Advent Calendar together. We had peace and longing as we lit the advent wreath before each meal together and sang O Come O Come Emmanuel.

Yet as a pastor, I've been forced to realize that many in our churches do not know the meanings behind our traditions. Do the lights remind us of the coming of the light of the world into our darkness? Do the presents remind us of the greatest gift of all? Does the Advent Wreath speak of longing for complete peace, justice, love, etc.?

In the Emergent Church, one of the marks is a reclaiming and re-appropriating of Ancient symbols. While my church is far from emergent, I've used this idea to remind me to "tell the old old story." In Advent, we must articulate the importance of our longing and the symbology of the decorations, lights, & wreath.

For the last two years, one of my congregants has made it very clear that she is angry when we don't sing Christmas songs starting at the beginning of Advent. While I find this both disturbing and sad, I have found the need to bridge the gap between those who celebrate Advent and Christmas with those who celebrate only Christmas. This year, we are doing a Hymn Sing for 10 min. before worship in order to get some of our favorite Christmas songs in. This frees us to focus more on the longing of Advent during the worship service.

So to honor the longing of Advent, we've been exploring the ways our world is broken and in need of Christ, in the future, in the past, and in the present, through us. It has been great! The longing has been a core feature.

Yet in order to bridge the gap, we have done all this through the Christmas story itself: Kings, Shepherds, Nativity (with an end times story and Christ's Baptism thrown in early on). As a pastor, I have to help interpret the story to where people are, not where I think we should be. Hopefully, through bridging the gap, we are speaking to the longing in all of us, and our empowerment through Christ to make a difference today.

Investing in Hope

One of my first favorite scriptures was Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." I quoted this scripture often before I finally thought I should really read the book I so often quoted. I then found that Jeremiah was a pretty doom and gloom kind of guy! Where was the hope filled guy from 29:11? I didn't get very far into the book.

In seminary, we studied Jeremiah, particularly Jeremiah 32. In this passage Jeremiah buys a field. He tells the people that the land will be taken from them, and then he buys land. That tangible act was a symbol of hope. After preaching over and over that their sin would catch up with them, he didn't just say that hope still existed, he invested in that hope.

I have often found myself to be the youngest person at gatherings such as UMW, committee meeting, conference gatherings etc. (that is less the case now). As such, I am regularly asked if I see hope for the United Methodist Church.

As a young person in a more elderly church, I often hear people talk with despair about our world. There is almost a hope that Revelation may actually be coming to pass because people are so saddened and upset by the state of our world. People turn to me and want to know if I think that Revelation is coming.

Though I look at our Church and our churches and see many things that are dysfunctional, sinful, and irrelevant, though I look at our world and see many things that are dysfunctional, sinful, and shocking, I believe that God continues to have plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Plans to give us hope and a future. I believe that so strongly that I too chose a tangible symbol. I invest in the future with my son Micah. Micah, along with Isabella Graves, Wesley Hanover, Nora Masland-Sarani, Declan Stuntz, Claire Van Fleet, Miriam Irwin, and all the other precious babies born and to be born this year. This is our choice, our privileged, our promise. The future holds possibilities filled with hope for this world. God's Kingdom will come, and, God willing, John and Micah and I will get to help bring that kingdom here on earth.

Change, History, and Hope

It's been a while since I started and wrote in my blog "A Young Seminarian's View." I can't believe it has been three and a half years since Seminary. Now I'm a full fledged Ordained Elder, a part of "the system," a part of "the connection," for good and for bad. So I transition from a Young Seminarian's View to a Young Pastor's view. One day I'll have to change the title again, but for now, here I am.

So who am I now? I'm Jennifer Burns: follower of Jesus Christ and servant to God, wife of John Burns (extraordinary massage therapist, servant, husband, and father), mother of Micah Glen Burns (almost two months old! Strong, expressive, and healthy), Pastor of Howard UMC Findlay, OH (relational, historic, welcoming, diverse economically, struggling financially, older with some younger families, outreach & small group oriented). I'm other things as well: daughter, sister, aunt, avid reader, sporadic gardener, globally minded with a heart for the poor, the disenfranchised, the faces and perspectives missing from our congregations.

How did I end up here? Particularly as a pastor in West Ohio? I grew up in the church and I've always loved God and had a relationship with him. Over time, I've learned and grown and wrestled with questions of faith, love, theology. When I was 16, after a year of wrestling with "what am I going to do with my life" and "could I be called to be a pastor?" God spoke to me and said "This is You." It's a much longer and more amazing story, but I'll save that for another time. I went to Ohio Wesleyan for college (BA in Psychology), and Wesley Theological Seminary in DC (Yes, I proudly call myself a Master of Divinity...LOL). I was appointed back in my home state at HUMC and have been here ever since.

What does Community mean for me? A couple years ago, I decided that we needed a young clergy network only to discover that one was already underway! I merged my husband and my efforts with theirs and Refresh was born. We as clergy families have unique needs and life experiences. I have already seen fruit from this network as comfort, support, community, and hope have been born out of connection. I am blessed and eager to be part of helping these fruit grow and expand, touching more young leaders (pastors & families) in the church. Here's to a year of deeper connections as we get to know each other better.

How about you? Who are you now? How did you end up there? What does community mean to you?

Evangelism

Evangelism has often been a dirty word in liberal circles. I grew up with a clear distinction between missions and evangelism (with the focus on missions). In reading "The Continuing Conversion of the Church" I've been amazed and excited by the merging of the two in ways I have not seen before. The things I've always learned about missions and being a "missionary" apply to evangelism.

Most startling is the idea that evangelism is a two way street. In translating the gospel into another culture, another life, we continue to be converted, changed, as well. Our understanding changes, our assumptions are challenged. One theme harped on in this book is that no cultural manifestation of faith is normative. In sharing our faith with others, in translating the powerful message of the gospel, we are shaped, changed, and grow.

Evangelism itself is scary. Evangelism can be pushed as an important response to faith, a mandate by Jesus, our loving response to caring for our neighbors. I've never seen it pushed as an important aspect of the development of our own faith. For without evangelism, without bearing witness, without being an interpreter of faith, we miss an important part of testing, stretching, and growing our faith.

Pacifism ramblings

I'm reading Bonhoeffer right now. I was thinking about his proposal for an ecumenical peace convocation to outlaw war. My father is a pacifist and I've been a pacifist too. The idea of war sickens me. But I thought about all of this in light of our changing society. "War" is almost an anachronistic word today. War used to be what happened when nations attacked each other.

We've moved further and further away from the "Gentleman's war" that once existed. Now we talk about the "war on drugs" and "war on terror" but these kinds of things are ways to legitimize our government fighting against something that is not another government. Our way of reaching beyond our bounds because we are afraid of the reality that what happens in one country dramatically affects another country and rarely has to do with direct government action.

War still exists, obviously, but is it really that I'm against war? Is that a complete statement? No. I oppose war for the same reason I oppose gangs, domestic violence, terrorism, etc. I oppose violence of all kinds: physical, emotional, sexual, individual, group, and national. I am a pacifist because I believe that God desires a world of peace, not violence.

People sometimes bring up Hitler as a response to my pacifism or my stance against the Death Penalty. I do not believe it is right to stand by and do nothing when people are behaving violently! What bothers me is that we tend to take violent action before non-violent, simple and brutal action before creative but complex actions. We do not do preventative work but jump to violence after someone else has caused violence. Our world has had enough. God calls for peace in our homes, in our streets, and between our nations. How do we prevent violence? love our neighbors. How do we respond to violence? By taking a stand, no mater the cost. Bonhoeffer resorted to violence, and I was not in his situation, but at the least he was willing to take a stand against the violence of Hitler. I hope to do better at my pacifism in the future, for it cannot be a passive pacifism, it must be active!

TransFORM - a missional community formation network

Awesome video about churches doing creative things and how they understand themselves and their process of formation. Lots of other things about those communities here too! Take a Look! Dream BIG!
TransFORM!
TransFORM - a missional community formation network

DC and Ohio - Culture pt. 2: The Extraordinary

I remember going downtown for dinner with John one day and seeing dozens and dozens of cop cars and probably a hundred officers of various kinds including the Secret Service. That was when my brother-in-law told me that DC is a place where the completely extraordinary is completely ordinary.

This has only been confirmed over time. Yesterday began an international summit at the DC convention center to discuss securing nuclear materials around the world. It's the largest gathering of world leaders led by a US President since the founding of the United Nations! What do we talk about? Traffic. This amazing event, that anyone around the country should feel in aww of and privileged to witness is met, to some degree, with indulgence by those in DC. I don't mean to criticize, it is just that we are so used to major events of national and international significance that we barely even blink. We have to readjust our schedule to get places, sure. We may be busier if we work for the government. But overall, it is a normal part of life in DC.

Whenever we are over-exposed to something, it changes us. We talk about violence on DC desensitizing us. Perhaps we talk about urban isolation or indifference. In coming to DC I discovered how much of Ohio's geography I'd taken for granted. Whatever the specific case, the question becomes: What can we do to keep from numbing out? I don't have any complete answers, what I try is simply to continue to expose myself to radically different things. I go to Africa, I move to DC, I travel, I form friendships with those who are different from me. I hope that in doing those things, I am a better person, I am more open to God's witness in front of me, and I am more aware of places for God to use me.

Post-modern Preaching

Found an Awesome Quote about Preaching in a Post-Modern world...but really it applies to preaching in general.

"English-speaking tourists abroad are inclined to believe that if only they speak English loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, the natives will know what's being said even though they don't understand a single word of the language. Preachers often make the same mistake. They believe that if only the will speak the ancient verities loudly and distinctly and slowly enough, their congregations will understand them. Unfortunately, the only language people really understand is their own language, and unless preachers are prepared to translate the ancient verities into it, they might as well save their breath." - Frederick Buechner

Soo great! If we have in a post-modern congregation, or want to reach out to post-moderns, then we need to understand that their entire system of language and thinking is not only different from the ancient text, it is also different from the modern text. Post-moderns ask different questions, are swayed by different type of language (look at chapter 7 in Theology for Preaching: Authority truth and knowledge of God in a Postmodern Ethos for explanation), and have different points of reference than Moderns do. I should know, I'm a mostly modern in a mostly post-modern church.

DC and Ohio – Culture pt. 1

When I came to DC, one of my reasons to leave Ohio had been about having a slightly different cultural experience. I knew that things were different even in different parts of the USA and I wanted that broader perspective to bring into ministry.

A year after arriving in DC I was asked about what I’d found in this regard. I intuitively knew that things were different. But when I tried to pinpoint what it was, all I could think about were the things that I’d experienced about being a stranger in a strange land. What that was like.

Having moved off campus, and had my eye open for more concrete things, I’ve found several ways to describe the differences.

Story #1: A friend at church, no older than me, got a job working for a NON-profit. One of the first things she learned about as a benefit was free access to a service that would do things for her. The would buy presents for her family member’s birthdays, do research on vacation locations, or whatever else she didn’t have time for. She was encouraged to use it to help plan her wedding. It was strange to her, it was strange to me. Her reaction was not to use it, but I could tell she was tempted. Heck, I would be tempted.

Story #2: I started hearing about what are called bedroom communities. Adults who live in these places may travel THREE HOURS every day to get to work. They basically sleep in their homes and have some weekend time there. Questions are being asked about what it means to be church to these bedroom communities. Places where children see their parents only on Saturdays and Sundays. Where there is no real community or bonding in the area. People do shopping and recreation in the city where they work, not the town where they “live”

In D.C. there is a different understanding of work and home life.

Preacher's Self Presentation

It's interesting how something that is almost tangential or not central to a conversation, a book, or a classroom lecture can take hold of the listener. I can say that many times it is the Holy Spirit.

I don't remember where it was, probably in my preaching book, but I read a reflection that has been nagging at me. I've heard so many times that the pastor should talk about their weaknesses. They should not be afraid to show how they are not perfect. That they will be humanized. I think I've heard that so much that I forget that a congregation also needs to have confidence in the guidance of the pastor. Confidence that while the pastor is human, the pastor is also striving, and somewhat successfully, after the Christian Life.

The passage in the book referred to how as preachers and pastors we should not make ourselves out to be saints, but we also cannot constantly be harping on our weaknesses too. Of course I take this new conviction of balance and am afraid of all the negatives I've been sharing with my congregation. But they are good kind people and I trust that they see the good in me even if I'm not highlighting it. I will strive in the future to find a better balance. I need to make sure I'm also showing my spiritual gifts, strengths, learnings, and passion. I think I've got the other side down pretty well :)

What's my Ethical System?

I've been doing a lot of internal reflecting so far this semester. That plus a lot of early assignments is why I haven't been blogging about classes. I've been struck by so many things in my life. My ethics class has been challenging me to consider the underlying ethical system that I use to evaluate my decisions. I don't believe that the Bible holds some clear rules to apply uniformly across all situations. So if not uniform, then how do I come to my decisions. I was fine with things, but my professor suggested that if there isn't a coherent system, if I just make up my mind in each situation using the things that seem good to me at the time, then my ethic is wishi washi and up to my whim. Instead we've been reading about some ethical systems in the book "Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics" which takes a bumper sticker type slogan and expands the ethical system behind it and then critiques it. I've found myself in almost all of these so far. My question for myself then becomes: if all of these guide me to some extent, what is at the base below which I will not go? I know I draw heavily on love as my method and virtues as my goal. So what ethical system do you think you are?
When in Rome do as the romans Do: cultural relativism
Look out for Number One: Ethical Egoism
I couldn't help myself: behaviorism
The Greatest Happiness for the greates number: Utilitarianism
It's your duty: Kantian Ethics
Be Good: Virtue Ethics
All you need is love:  Situation Ethics
Doing what comes naturally: natural law ethics
God Said it, I believe it, That settles it: Divine Command Theory

Advent Conspiracy!

Life is like a bicycle Ride

Lessons learned from my bike ride:

There are basically three types of terrain when biking. Upward slopes, downward slopes, and straight stretches.
In straight stretches: We may be recovering from an arduous recent upward slope, still reveling in the joy of the momentum of the downward slope, or taking in the surroundings as we peacefully pedal along. These are important, yet complacency is a problem. In complacency we may forget to watch for the upcoming terrain, thus robbing us of precious time to prepare momentum for a coming climb.

In Upward slopes: I've found that if I focus my energy on getting to the top of the hill I do not bike to my potential. The length of the journey there, or the degree of the incline make my energy wane more than the work itself. Plus the difficulty of the biking becomes the focus rather than the journey or the surroundings. I instead set really tiny goals (regularly only a foot to a yard ahead of me). Today I biked from leaf to leaf on one such climb. When I do this I'm able to have more energy longer, bike in the moment, and enjoy the journey.

The Transition: This small step focus, however, would be a problem in other parts of the journey. A good biker will know the precise moment to switch from this small focus back to the big picture. Without returning to the big picture at the right time, we miss opportunities to gain momentum thus making the next hill harder or the ride down the hill less enjoyable. etc.

The downward slope: Sometimes, it's important to just revel in the journey! The wind in your hair the beauty of being carried along!

Enjoy the Journey!

Trinity

Just a thought by Elizabeth Johnson I wanted to preserve. I've struggled since I started seminary with the idea of the Trinity. How I'd always thought of it was three ways we understand the one God, or three attributes of God, or something like that. What's always been important to me was the oneness of God. When I got to seminary and started learning about the Greek words for the same substance but three persons I was a bit repulsed by it. That threatens for me the oneness of God.

Whenever I try to get someone to argue for the importance of the threeness of God they have not convinced me of anything other than that it's nice to have an image of divine community. Not something I think is necessary or essential. So anyway, this is the quote that is worth dwelling on and not forgetting:

"Three corresponding distinctions may be said to exist within one God. Why [this] insight? It is based on the conviction that God is utterly faithful, and does not self-reveal in any guise other than the one which actually coheres with the essence of divine being...Basic trust in the experience of God's threefold relatedness to us suggests that a certain corresponding threefoldness characterizes God's own true being." (pg. 199-200) In other words, since God isn't tricking us and God only reveals things that are in line with the core of God, and since we experience God in a threefold way, then that must threefoldness must somehow characterize God.

I still don't know that I agree, but at least I have a window of insight into why the distinction was deemed so important!

The Language of Metaphor

In this book Design Matters, the author starts off by saying that before you learn to do any designing for projection, the very first step is to change how you think. If all we're doing is projecting lyrics and pretty backgrounds then using visual technology is a waste of money, there are many less expensive ways to do that. WOW that was harsh.

Our culture isn't just visual in terms of wanting pretty pictures. This new medium has changed how we think and process. Our culture thinks and communicates in metaphor. Take commercials: for decades the Polar Bear has been used by Coke. Is it just cute? NO, the Polar Bear is a metaphor for COLD which makes us think refreshing. Or take Music: Firecracker (about a woman), The Race is On (about heartbreak), I left something turned on at home (about a woman not a stove). I like country music but this is the case in all genres.

We need to learn to think in metaphor. My husband is really good at this. He can come up with a metaphor for just about anything. Sometimes his are too complicated, but still that's how he thinks.

This book said that a good metaphor can be connected in one simple sentence. Anyway, just really thought this was an interesting idea to dwell on. Do we use metaphor in our our church? Do you use it in yours?

Response: God as Game Designer

So my husband, who is designing board games for fun, sent me this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wy3ORyK8CA
Since I don't want to be writing my Mid-Term on Moltmann right now I'm going to think about this instead.

The premise of the discussion is that if God designed the world like a game designer designs a game then he didn't do a very good job. If Heaven and Hell are the win loose conditions, then what are the rules? Well no one can agree, even on the 10 commandments. A good game has clear concise rules so that games spend 90% of the time playing the game instead of debating it. Christians, with their non-concise, unclear "rules" spend that 90% of time debating the rules instead. You win the game by maximizing chance, minimizing losses, and playing by the rules.

In some ways this is a reasonable argument. It would be nice to think that there are straight forward rules to live by that would lead to success, and it is clear that those have not been given to us.
I think, however that the analogy, while we long for its simplicity and ability to understand, is not accurate. Life is not a game. 1) Rules become ends in themselves and not fulfilling the Game. 2) Additionally, it seems clear that there is not one set of rules for everyone, instead faithfulness is a process. 3)Heaven and Hell are not win loose conditions to life. So here are my ideas and thoughts on those three things. I could definitely be wrong, and these are always works in progress.

Rules: The goal of the rules, can become the rules themselves. I should know as I'm a legalistic type of player. The rules of a game are not designed to be followed for the sake of following the rules. They are designed to make the game fun and accessible for all. The problem the Apostle Paul points out with the Jewish rules was that they were becoming ends in themselves instead of being instruments that empowered life to be fun and accessible for all. That is what people are trying to say when they say the New Testament supersedes the Old. Though I don't agree with that statement, it is true that the New Testament says that the old legalism is not effective. "Rules" are only good as long as they help.

One set of Rules: Unfortunately, I don't think that one set of rules works for everyone. If there were, then it seems likely that we would know them, perhaps they could be as clear as a board game's rules. Instead, faithfulness is a process, it is ongoing, it does not look the same for everyone. Nor is what was right for you in one situation necessarily right for you in another. Faithfulness requires discernment. This is the beauty of God's Holy Spirit. The "rules of life" are not written out, they are implanted, so to speak, inside of each of us. The Bible, our Community, our Experience, and Tradition helps us be attuned to, and understand, that voice of the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying anything goes. There are probably some things that are absolutely wrong (like rape) but most things are not black and white. That is why instead of rules, God gave us stories and a guide.

Heaven and Hell are not win loose conditions - Heaven has to be more than something at the end of life, or after the resurrection of the dead. Heaven is in the moments where the divine is manifest on earth. In Charity, in Love, in Compassion, in Beauty, in Creativity, in Solidarity, in Community. It is a blessing to experience Heaven on Earth, and yes Heaven is probably also an end game scenario where "there is a new heaven and a new earth" as Revelation says, but it is not a reward for playing by the rules. In fact, most Christians believe in the impossibility of playing by the rules.
Some Christians do treat Heaven and Hell as these win loose end game scenario. It speaks to an inner longing to escape from the trials of this world. But Heaven and Hell are not about individuals winning and loosing. Heaven is about a collective salvation. Redeeming a broken and suffering world.

Summary: So really what I'm saying is that Faithfulness is not about the End result! Being a "Good Christian" is not just about getting to heaven and avoiding hell, it is about a life lived now. There are lots of things that come from this, a life lived without fear, a life of abundance, a life of blessing to the world, a life of belonging and not loneliness. There are also risks and pain. It is not easy to glimpse redemption and live in a broken world. Life is complicated. God is bigger than all of us, and when we open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit God can guide us in a way unique to us and our gifts and our situation in order to lead us in a life of Faithfulness now. Life's game is not about the end of our life, but the end of all history in a new creation.

Alright, lots more I could say but this is a way long post so I'll sign off now.

What is Salvation?

Ok, so this is now my new favorite book: A New Kind of Christian
Way to make me think!

Salvation has never made sense to me. (Maybe that's part of why I'm having such a difficult time constructing my theology of Baptism.) I've always been uncomfortable with the phrazes "born again" and "saved", and I've wanted to a laugh at the: "you can know where you're going when you die" as if we can control God or grasp the unimaginable. Most of what we think we "know" about heaven, eternal life, death, and salvation is likely just as much a parable or painting as I've come to believe the creation story is. Very helpful and valuable, but not "factually descriptive." (should I stop? I feel that this is getting into controversial territory for someone seeking ordination...oh well)

So I was shocked to read "Let's say that salvation means becoming part of the solution rather than part of the problem." Cool! again this is a painting, an image, and not a factual description that is all inclusive of what salvation means, but for me, this seems to define how I've been living into salvation my whole life! It's never been about a conversion story for me (you can read about this in an earlier post). This journey of faith is about being part of God's salvific role in the whole world!

My pastor's sermon today is on salvation (and he's read this book too), too bad I'm home sick! Sometimes they are posted on line so you can watch and wait like me :) Or just check out our new website: http://www.newleafchurch.org/web/

I am

In spanish there are two terms for I am. So you might say I am tired. That doesn't mean that who you are is a tired person, it means that right now you are tired. It seems to me to be a transient state.
The other word in Spanish for I am is a characteristic. I am hospitable. It speaks to a core characteristic. (I can't remember much Spanish so this blog post is coming out of my memory and the words of my friend John Evans.)

This distinction came to mind when I read a bit of Jurgen Moltmann in The Way of Jesus Christ. He said 1 John (4:16) "defines God by saying: 'God is love.' God does not love just as he might also be angry. He is love. His being and existence is love. In Christ he constitutes himself as love. This happened on the cross." (pg. 175) So "God is" would be the same verb as "I am." When talking about how closely God is tied to love it would be one not of transience, but of identity.

I found the analogy to Spanish helpful. God gets angry in the Bible, but God is not Anger. The overriding quality of God is love. I do believe that "God is love" goes even deeper than that Spanish word, but the distinction is still deeply important if we are to take seriously the anger of God (and other qualities difficult to swallow like judgment, wrath, distance etc.) while still clinging tightly to the love of God that is so central.

P.S. my husband says the words in Spanish are Soy and Estar, but we aren't certain which is which. Anyone know?