Sunday Worship8, 9:30, & 11 am
Sometimes a young, up and coming preacher comes out of the gate, potentially a little too hard, with a message that uses political material to underscore his/her main gospel point. The message resonates deeply with some, offends others, and a few weren’t really sure what the main point was supposed to be. Not that I am speaking from experience or anything….
In speaking with people over the last couples of days, I realized that when sensitive subjects are brought up, our internal defenses and biases are stirred up as well. I stand by my choice to tackle the subject of abuses of power, and hegemonic masculinity, viewed through the light of our gospel passage (Mark 9:38-50), but I also realize that my internal defenses and biases were also in embedded in my message. I spent hours upon hours trying to craft perfect phrasing in my sermon so that it would come off as non-partisan. I knew this sermon better than any I had ever preached before, but I kept my nose in my manuscript, rather than going off the cuff, because I wanted to make sure all of the words were just right. Despite all of that preparation and intentional wordsmithing, not everyone left hearing the same message on Sunday.
It pains me that my message may have wounded someone, but it also excites me to hear that the Holy Spirit moved within people to the point where couples who came away hearing different messages spent time vying to understand what the other heard. Would I do it all over again?
Choirs and music might be the last things you would associate with the concept of justice. You show up, you sing, you try to make pretty music, and you go home. It’s a good evening if that’s something you love to do. But it is so much more than that. At least the way we do it here at Lord of Life, an ensemble that makes music together is like a microcosm of God’s kingdom of justice and peace.
Whether we’re talking about choir, the praise band, youth band, children’s choir, hand bells, or the multitude of musicians who offer their talents on special occasions, each person has an important part to play. The whole group is made better because of the talents and commitment each individual brings to the table. The diversity of the gifts and backgrounds of our musicians adds a richness and spirit to our ensembles that wouldn’t be there if everybody had the same education and grew up in the same neighborhood. And truly anyone can have a role – if someone wants to sing but has never sung before, they lean on the other singers to learn to match pitch, to blend their vowels, and to sing at the right time. And we all lovingly help them along without judging them.
All of these thoughts about music as an example of justice and equality were swirling through my head when I was downtown for Cincinnati’s Oktoberfest last weekend.
From the time I had graduated college till the time I started seminary, if you had asked me if I was interested in going back to school, I would have just laughed at you. I’m not sure where and when the disconnect happened but there was a time somewhere in junior high school where I checked out. The model of lecture based classroom instruction just did not appeal to me any longer. I worked just hard enough to get good grades, calculating the exact grade I needed on a final exam to get an “A” in the class and then only studying hard enough to hit that mark on the test.
In high school I latched onto theater classes because it gave me a chance to learn through experience. I had never had a class before that allowed me to learn on my feet and truly experience education in an embodied way. I poured all of my time into the theatrical community and eventually decided that my calling was to be a professional actor. I was accepted into Wright State University’s prestigious acting program and attended there for a year. I realized during that year that while I really did enjoy acting, it was not my ultimate calling. I was more attracted to the experiential nature of theater than the actual process of memorizing scripts and constant auditioning.
Over time, I realized that ministry was my ultimate calling, but the idea of going to seminary was terrifying.
This past Sunday, over three dozen youth and adults from Lord of Life and our partner Latino congregation, Vida Eterna Iglesia Luterana (VEIL), participated in an exciting day of service called “Gods Work. Our Hands.” Presiding Bishop of the ELCA Elizabeth Eaton says, “This day is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.”
At Lord of Life, we had three projects ready to go: Police and Fire visits, Union Elementary beautification, and interior painting at Haven House family shelter. Because of the unrelenting rain, we delayed the outdoor projects at Union Elementary. Keep your eyes open for a reschedule later this fall.
One group decorated cardboard boxes with colorful paper and then stuffed them full of dinner fixings, snacks, “Live Generously” T-shirts, and homemade cards, before wrapping them up and heading out to deliver the care packages to the West Chester Police Department and five of our West Chester Fire Stations. One of our people, upon greeting the fire personnel, said, “Thank you for all you do to protect and serve our community. We know that it means time away from your families.”
Our other group descended upon downtown Hamilton in order to serve at Haven House, a shelter for families that are experiencing homelessness. In just a few short hours, twenty-one of us were able to paint from floor to ceiling almost all of a five bedroom apartment that is used as gathering and play space for these families in transition. One worker mentioned, “Laughter, music, and stories were shared as we bonded through service with our larger community.”
While we didn’t get to meet the families that were currently staying at Haven House, we hope that this newly painted commons area will bring them joy and show them Christ's love. Jesse at Haven House said, “It looks great! We appreciate everything you all did.”
Other congregations in the area tied quilts, assembled care bags, served hot meals, worked in gardens, planted flowers, picked up litter, and a whole bunch of other fantastic and life-giving opportunities. If you missed it, don’t worry. There will be plenty of other opportunities for you to serve. Not only will we have other organized moments of serving together, but our hands, feet, hearts, and minds are part of God‘s redemptive work every day. It’s who we are created to be! It was great to be part of an event in unity with our fellow Lutherans as an extension of all the great things we’re always doing at Lord of Life.
Recently, our seminary intern, Corey Wagonfield, started an online class that is part of his continuing theological education. As a way of introducing our congregation to his classmates, he was asked to make a short video with a virtual tour of our space and ministries. Instead of just recording a walk around our building, he decided to get creative and blast through some of the ministries in which we share. Check out his video here.
{Facebook}https://www.facebook.com/LordofLifeWestChester/videos/305752000217407{/Facebook}
We are part of God’s work in this place. Our hands, words, actions, prayers, and lives all point to the One Jesus Christ who came to give us abundant life and teach us how to love and serve all people!
With gratitude,
Pastor Lowell
Kids have many questions. If you have ever eaten at a restaurant, explored the woods on a nature hike, gawked at the zoo, rested in a restroom, created a craft, read a book, listened to music, fixed dinner, mowed the lawn, meandered on the beach, pumped gas, or attempted to take a nap in the vicinity of a precious little one, you know what I’m saying. The endless barrage of who, what, when, where and why keeps you on your toes and can wear you down to the bone.
Kids are looking for answers to all of life’s problems, puzzles, and happenings. They are on the hunt. Big or small, they need to know. Thankfully, they are bold enough to ask and ask and ask. Their impassioned seeking fuels their quest for answers. If you try to ignore them, they’ll continue asking, seeking, and knocking until you finally cannot bear the interruption any longer.
Maybe one of the reasons that Jesus enjoyed time with children was because they weren’t afraid to open their mouths and say whatever they were thinking. Their brutal honesty mingled the obscene and absurd in the same breath. They didn’t have the capability to turn on their interior editor and filter or correct their honest speech before it came spewing forth.
A few years ago, Elizabeth Blair wrote a fascinating piece, Beyond Books: Libraries Lend Fishing Poles, Pans and People. Leading with the question, “What's the point of a library in the digital age?”, Blair reveals the creative ways that many libraries are expanding their resources by making sporting equipment, tools and even people available for check out.
“‘Libraries that are loaning out people often refer to them as ‘human books.’ Sometimes they even … give them catalog numbers … Public librarians have contact with all walks of life,’ says Amy Greer, who coordinated a Human Library event at the Providence Community Library in Rhode Island. ‘So we created an application, and we approached people we see every day.’”
“They came up with a collection of 40 human books. Among the stories, says Greer, ‘Refugee ... woman with a face deformity ... ex-felon.’ Over 200 people browsed the catalog and checked out books. ‘Then they would go and sit down with that person for 20 minutes for a one-on-one conversation ... And they would just have a dialogue,’ says Greer.” You can read the whole article here: https://www.npr.org/2013/08/13/211697593/beyond-books-libraries-lend-fishing-poles-pans-and-people.
What a tremendous opportunity to engage a spectrum of stories and people. This process of lifelong learning leads to greater knowledge, as well as a deeper understanding of those with whom we live.
We don’t need to shy away from wonder and discovery. We stand in a long line of Christians who are not afraid to ask questions and wrestle with difficult issues, seek Scripture for hope and inspiration, and knock on the doors of heaven over and over with our prayers for guidance and peace.
In all of this, we trust that God is pursing us and inviting us to continue learning about the love and mission of God. What does God ask of us? Where is God seeking us and calling us? Where in our hearts and minds is God knocking, hoping that doors and opportunities will become open and available for God’s purpose?
I pray that the Spirit helps us revert to our childhood curiosities. Together, let’s spend the year asking questions. Who is God calling us to be? Where are we willing to follow Jesus? How can God use us to bring hope and dignity to all people?
Our asking will push us into new territories where we’ll have the opportunities to seek a broader picture, listen to other voices, and search for God’s presence in our lives and in the world.
Still filled with wonder and awe,
Pastor Lowell
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Fall is just around the corner and I know that children have been on the forefront of my mind these past few weeks. If there is one thing I have learned from raising my own two children as well as spending countless hours in the classroom with a wide range of students, it is that children are ever changing. Sure, kids are kids … they will always be kids. They are curious, eager to learn, and full of love, but how they manifest that curiosity, their passion for learning, or expressing that love does not look the same as it did twenty…even ten years ago.
In our ministry, the ever-changing youth are our passion, and some of the youth’s strongest cheerleaders have been working hard this summer to develop programing that will evolve with them.
Show and Tell was always my favorite part of elementary school. Not only did it provide an opportunity to learn more about my classmates and teachers, but it guaranteed that we would see some wacky stuff!
As kids and teachers head back to school during these weeks, I can’t help but think about the summer recaps, which often includes show and tell moments. “What did you do this summer? Where did you go? Who did you see or meet?”
I remember kids bringing in guinea pigs, a duck, a miniature horse, and other exotic pets. There were paintings, drawings, creative configurations of Legos (before design-specific models existed), as well as strange hand crafted projects. A friend of mine rode a unicycle and always took the opportunity to show off for the class. And there was the kid who always talked about his latest cut, cast, or scar.
Show and Tell is a good ritual for grown-up living, too.