Ten Things I Want to Tell Parents

On May 19, 2012May 19, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Sorry to crowd the blogosphere this morning, but I came across this article and it was too good to pass by. This is for all religiously and/or spiritually inclined parents out there (of any ideological stripe). Solid, concise, and clear. Originally written by Rev. Rebecca Kirkpatrick.

Reblogged from Bread Not Stones:

When I started this blog about a year ago, I planned to focus on sharing my insights into how parents can and should provide religious nurture for their children. As I have reflected on this past year, I thought it would be helpful to briefly lay out in one post some of the most important things that I have learned as a pastor and a parent who works with families.

Almost all of what I have written relates to one of these ten things that I think parents should know. Once we delve into the details and particulars of different parts of scripture or faith, sometimes these essentials can get lost in the shuffle.

So below are the ten most important things that I want to tell parents (even parents in my own congregation) as they work to strengthen the spiritual lives of their children.

On May 19, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Attached is the text of the Phoenix Affirmations, a list of values and principles that emerged out of CrossWalk America, the grassroots organization whose creative work inspired a documentary called ‘The Asphalt Gospel’. Not intended to be a credo, it is nonetheless a helpful summary of the kinds of things that liberal Christians tend to believe in.

Countryside Church's Phoenix Affirmations Blog

Below is a list of the twelve Phoenix Affirmations. Developed originally in 2005-6 by pastors, laypeople, theologians and biblical scholars around the United States from every “mainline” theological tradition and several others, the Phoenix Affirmations are gradually becoming a theological backbone of the progressive Christian movement in the United States. They have also picked up a following in Europe, Australia, and Central America. As affirmations they are NOT meant to act as a creed. That is, the Phoenix Affirmations are NOT to be understood as a test by which people may be judged Christian or not-Christian. The Affirmations are simply meant to be a way by which certain Christians have choose to express their faith.

The Affirmations are also designed to be flexible – not fixed in stone – and thus have a “version number” attached. Since 2006, the version as been 3.8. Below is the “summary version” of…

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A Moment of Grace

On May 18, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

What really happens in the worship experience? Regardless of one’s theological orientation – humanist, theist, Buddhist, pagan – there is often an unspoken encounter with an unseen order. For the theist, that order is the reality of God. For the Buddhist, it is an awareness of no separation between self and everything else. For the humanist, it may be acknowledging our individual roles in the larger body of humanity. For the pagan, it is the spiritual reality within the natural world. Wherever one places one’s faith, the deepest experience that happens in worship is often unseen. A worship leader can follow the prescribed steps in preparing for worship, and the result can still be uninspiring. The candles can be lit, the incense smoldering, the words written down carefully, the scripture thoughtfully exegeted – and there can still be no transformative moment in the service…

At a transformative moment, a constellation of tradition, relationships, meanings, hopes, and fears is present in the worshiping community. There is the covenant that each individual has committed to honor and engage as a member of the community. There also has to be something that none of the practices, preparations, and participation in covenantal community can create – and that is a moment of grace.

–Wayne Arnason & Kathleen Rolenz, Worship That Works, 139-140

The Right Hand of Fellowship

On May 17, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Another offering from The Christian Left group on Facebook:

Reverence for Reality

On May 16, 2012May 16, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

diversity — Photo by Kurt Löwenstein Educational Center International Team

I’ve often felt sorry for Abimelech. He strikes me as a stand-up guy who got the short end of the stick. We first meet him in the 20^th chapter of the book of Genesis. He’s named as the king of the Philistines who lives in Gerar. One day, a rather attractive woman moves to town, supposedly with her brother. She makes a splash on the social scene and turns the heads of some very well-placed individuals. Before long, she’s dating Abimelech himself, who is quite taken with her. Little does he know that she too is taken, but not in a good way. The woman’s “brother” turns out to be her husband who is using her as part of a con-game that they’ve been running in several different towns.

Abimelech, an apparently decent fellow who’s not into that sort of thing, demands an explanation. Abraham, the brother-husband, replies, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place”.

No fear of God? That doesn’t seem to be the case. First of all, I should explain that I tend to cringe at the word fear being used in this sense. The actual Hebrew word means awe or reverence. We, on the other hand, tend to associate it with dread or terror. Abraham was insisting that he saw no reverence for the sacred in the house of Abimelech. Yet, Abimelech seems to be a rather spiritually sensitive person. One might even call him a mystic. He hears God speaking to him in dreams and responds without hesitation. If anything, Abimelech comes across as a much more spiritually centered person than Abraham the con-man.

Abraham saw no reverence for the divine in Abimelech. I propose a theory that it was actually Abraham’s own prejudice that prevented him from seeing the truth about the kind of person that Abimelech really was. Abraham was accustomed to seeing “foreigners” and “outsiders” in a certain way. Abraham thought that he, as the exalted ancestor of the chosen people, was the sole-possessor of “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” about God. As a result, he was blind to the reality of reverence in Abimelech’s life.

Don’t we do this all the time? We get used to seeing things in a certain way. We come up with interpretive schemas that we impose on reality in order to categorically organize our perceptions of the world. We want to know who is “in” and who is “out”, who is “saved” and who is “damned”, who are the “good guys” and who are the “bad guys”. This is a natural way of looking at things (especially for kids) but it causes problems for adults who know through experience that life is never that simple. If we stay committed to such binary thinking in the face of more nuanced evidence, prejudice closes our minds and hardens our hearts against reality and reverence. We fail to keep in step with what God is doing in the world and end up becoming the worst versions of ourselves.

Especially in this fast-paced and interconnected world of the 21^st century, it is incumbent upon us to remain open to the varieties of reverence we may encounter in those who are different from us. When I walk into a situation or relationship with the assumption that God is neither present nor active in another person’s life, I am more likely to misconstrue God’s presence and activity in my own life.

Through openness of heart and mind, let us maintain our reverence for what is sacred and celebrate together the incredible diversity we find in this universe.

Silence

On May 15, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

“Be still and know that I am God.” -Psalm 46

“God was not in the fire, or in the earthquake, or in the wind, but in the still, small voice.” 1 Kings 19:12

To sit together in silence requires confronting the inner workings of our own minds. In silence, we see more clearly our thoughts and feelings, our hopes and losses. We can shut them out by compiling our to-do lists or fretting about the crying baby, but if we continue with the silence, we feel the tug of the spirit calling us to a larger life. For some, these feelings are strange and unsettling. There is nothing to do in that silence but “be.” There are no landmarks, no roadmaps, no GPS systems to guide us, save for the rhythm of our own heartbeat and the rise and fall of our own breath.

-Wayne Arnason & Kathleen Rolenz, Worship That Works, 110-111

Emerson: Each and All

On May 14, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn poetryLeave a comment

Here’s a little Ralph Waldo Emerson with your morning tea. This one speaks to me of that urge to possess that which we admire. I love how the author moves from a sense of hubris, centrality, and ownership toward what I would call “respect for the interdependent web of all existence.”

Little thinks, in the field, yon red-cloaked clown
Of thee from the hill-top looking down;
The heifer that lows in the upland farm,
Far-heard, lows not thine ear to charm;
The sexton, tolling his bell at noon,
Deems not that great Napoleon
Stops his horse, and lists with delight,
Whilst his files sweep round yon Alpine height;
Nor knowest thou what argument
Thy life to thy neighbor’s creed has lent.
All are needed by each one;
Nothing is fair or good alone.
I thought the sparrow’s note from heaven,
Singing at dawn on the alder bough;
I brought him home, in his nest, at even;
He sings the song, but it cheers not now,
For I did not bring home the river and sky;–
He sang to my ear, — they sang to my eye .
The delicate shells lay on the shore;
The bubbles of the latest wave
Fresh pearls to their enamel gave,
And the bellowing of the savage sea
Greeted their safe escape to me.
I wiped away the weeds and foam,
I fetched my sea-born treasures home;
But the poor, unsightly, noisome things
Had left their beauty on the shore
With the sun and the sand and the wild uproar.
The lover watched his graceful maid,
As ‘mid the virgin train she strayed,
Nor knew her beauty’s best attire
Was woven still by the snow-white choir.
At last she came to his hermitage,
Like the bird from the woodlands to the cage;–
The gay enchantment was undone,
A gentle wife, but fairy none.
Then I said, “I covet truth;
Beauty is unripe childhood’s cheat;
I leave it behind with the games of youth:”–
As I spoke beneath my feet
The ground-pine curled its pretty wreath,
Running over the club-moss burrs;
I inhaled the violet’s breath;
Around me stood the oaks and firs;
Pine-cones and acorns lay on the ground;
Over me soared the eternal sky,
Full of light and of deity;
Again I saw, again I heard,
The rolling river, the morning bird;–
Beauty through my senses stole;
I yielded myself to the perfect whole.

Retrieved on May 14, 2012 from http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/emerson/poems/each.html

I Have Called You Friends

On May 13, 2012May 13, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn SermonLeave a comment

This week’s sermon from Boonville Presbyterian Church.

John 15:9-17

If you were to ask the average person on the street to define the term ‘God’ (as it is often used in most contemporary monotheistic religions), you would probably get an answer similar to what the late Anglican Bishop John A.T. Robinson used to call the God “up there.” In his more cheeky moments, Bishop Robinson also referred to the God “up there” as “the Old Man in the Sky.” This idea of God was taken quite literally by superstitious people during the Medieval Dark Ages.

Folks these days, while they might use language about God that describes “the Old Man in the Sky” as being “up there,” will most likely admit when pressed that God (if they believe there is a God) is neither biologically male, nor does “he” exist in a physical location that just so happens to be directly vertical in relation to the speaker’s current point of reference. Most folks who believe in a traditional monotheistic deity these days tend to think of the God “out there” (to use Robinson’s words again). In other words, they think of God as a singular, intangible, all-knowing, and all-powerful Supreme Being who exists independently of the created universe. Depending on their overall outlook on life and religion, they may or may not identify this Supreme Being as benevolent or compassionate.

The attribute of God that people tend to name more than any other is omnipotence, which means “all-powerful” or “almighty.” Have you ever paid attention to how often people begin their prayers with the words ‘Almighty God’? We kind of take it for granted that God is almighty. We figure that a Supreme Being can do anything that comes to mind. This is a tremendous source of strength and comfort for those who face difficult circumstances. It’s helpful to know that God is in control, can handle any crisis, and has a plan to work everything out for the better. The downside to this idea is that there seems to be so much meaningless suffering in the world. How could God possibly bring good out of it? Philosophers and theologians have been wrestling with that question for thousands of years. If they ever come up with a single, universally acceptable answer, I’ll be sure to let you know right away.

I find it interesting that omnipotence has taken such a central place in our ideas about God. When you think about modern society, it kind of makes sense. Modern people are obsessed with power. In the last five hundred years, we’ve used the power of science and technology to accomplish things that our ancestors never dreamed of. We’ve come to see ourselves as the masters of our own destiny. We worship what we value, so it would be fair to say that modern people worship power. When we try to conceive of a Supreme Being, the first thing we think of is someone who possesses unlimited power. Thus, to the modern mind, God must be omnipotent. It is as the philosopher Voltaire famously said: “If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor.”

However, our faith in the power of power has been shaken as of late. The twentieth century, with its two world wars, the holocaust, and the threat of nuclear annihilation, gave us reason to doubt our ability to bring about utopia through science and technology. The current century, as young as it is, has already drawn our attention to the growing problems of global warming, international terrorism, and social stratification. The modern era’s faith in the power of power has left us feeling empty, helpless, and alone in a sea of political propaganda and consumer advertising.

The God of modern power-lust has also presented us with certain problems. I’ve already mentioned what philosophers call “the problem of evil.” How can an all-powerful deity allow such horrible things to happen in the world? Whole books have been written on that question, so I won’t get into it just now. The problem I want to focus on is a relational one. There is only one way to relate to a God who is primarily understood as all-powerful: servitude. Obedience is all that matters in a power-based relationship. This much is true, even when power is trustworthy and only exercised in the interest of our individual or common good.

This idea of God is quite popular among religious believers today. God is an all-powerful lawgiver with a plan for the world that must be obeyed to letter, or else…

The spirituality shaped by such a theology is characterized by crime and punishment, as well as guilt and forgiveness. Average people, uncertain of what an all-powerful Supreme Being wants of them, tend to vest the authority for moral decision-making in some tangible and supposedly infallible source like a church, a Pope, or a Bible. This infallible source, so they say, represents the will of God to the people. In their minds, questioning the words of the Pope or the Bible is disobedience toward God. One must either obey or face the consequences of eternal damnation in the fiery abyss of hell. As you can see, this is how religious fanaticism and fundamentalism are born.

So, the question I want to ask today is this: is there a way to relate to God outside of the modern obsession with power? The answer, in my opinion, is yes.

I have already noted how the only way to relate to the omnipotent God of power is as an obedient servant. So, with that in mind, I love how Jesus says to his disciples in today’s gospel reading, “I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends.”

Jesus was (in)famous in his day for challenging the authority of traditional orthodox religion in order to replace it with authentic and radical relationships. His own family called him insane, all the preachers said he was demon-possessed, and respectable folks called him a glutton, a drunkard, and “a friend of sinners.” Those who followed him were as diverse as they were dense. They were ancient versions of government workers with guerilla fighters, barstool brawlers with church choir soloists, adult film stars with senators’ wives. It was an offensive and unlikely collection of people that found friendship with this remarkable person and each other.

Jesus, in his teaching and his living, replaced the God of power with the God of love. He told his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.” He makes it clear to them that his friendship with them is not based on religious observance or moral performance. He says to them, “You did not choose me but I chose you.” His love for them is a free gift of grace.

Gone is the sophisticated legal system of the Torah with its 613 commandments. Gone too are the famous tablets of the Ten Commandments. In fact, the only commandment that Jesus leaves his disciples is the commandment of love. “This is my commandment,” he says, “that you love one another as I have loved you.” The only thing Jesus asks us to do with this free gift of love is pass it on. And the end result, he says, of this extravagant love-fest is a lasting fullness of joy for eternity.

What Jesus knew on an instinctual level, and his friends learned by following him, is that God is love. The experience of a lived compassion and affection is more than just a fleeting emotion. It is divine. Love, as Jesus lived and taught it, is an expression of that which is the “Ground of all Being” and the very heartbeat of reality. Live like this, he says, and you will touch the face of God. For Jesus, God is not some all-powerful Supreme Being who rules the universe from a golden throne behind a pearly gate on a white, puffy cloud. The throne of God, the place from which God reigns, is much nearer to us than that. The kingdom of heaven, according to Jesus, is within you and among us.

If you want to find God, don’t look up, look deep. Look into your own eyes and those of your neighbors. Honor the relationships in your life and you will automatically be following the will of God for you. As the Christian theologian, St. Augustine, once said, “Love and do what you want.”

This is a radically different view of God than the one we get from religious fanatics, fundamentalists, and other modern folks who are obsessed with power. According to Jesus’ experience, love (not power) is the primary attribute of God. Everything else we might say about God must be understood in light of this first principle. This kind of God, the one revealed in and through Jesus, is Emmanuel (i.e. “God with us”). The life of Jesus represents a fundamental shift in the way we think about God. Going back to serving the demanding God of power after this would be an act of sheer idolatry.

Jesus’ God of love offers us a healing balm for the wounds and ailments of power-driven modern society. In spite of our incredible technological capacity for communication and information exchange, folks of all ages today tend to feel more isolated and lonely than ever. We are besieged by an endless invasion of barbarians who tear us and each other apart in the effort to obtain our money and our votes. We are horrified to discover, as Charlton Heston did at the end of the movie Soylent Green, that we are all destined to become mere consumers and products for consumption. But Jesus shows us that there is another way. There is more.

Jesus turns us onto the God of love and the subversive power of committed relationships. When we, as a community, begin to learn and practice this art, we find ourselves living the life of heaven on earth: the fullness of joy forever more. We might not be luckier, happier, or more prosperous than before, but we will have discovered the secret to living well.

I want to invite you then, whoever and wherever you are, to begin to look deeper into the relationships in your life. Take a second (or third) look at your family, friends, and neighbors. Take an especially good look at those you might consider your enemies. Take a look at those strangers you pass by in public and at the store.

If you’re listening to this sermon online or on the radio, I would invite you to take a break our culture’s individualism and consumerism to come visit us on Sunday at 10:30 and start exploring these relationships with us at our church. We don’t do it perfectly all the time, but we give it our best try. Come and get involved. See what love looks like in our little community of unlikely friends and ragtag disciples. Get involved and help us look for God in these little things. Maybe you’ll find the God of love while you’re helping Wally move chairs after the rummage sale, helping Vivien make sandwiches, or helping Rod put up the Christmas tree. These are the places and times when heaven comes to earth and the Spirit of God takes on flesh and bone again.

These relationships are sacred. Try to treat each person as you would treat Christ himself. Maybe you could memorize what Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 and recite his words silently to yourself as you interact with people, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” This is the secret to living well. This is the fullness of joy. This is how the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. This is how we come to recognize the sacred face of Jesus’ God of love.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God… for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)

On May 12, 2012 By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Reblogging my wife’s sermon from last week.

the beautiful changes...

Sorry for the late posting this week. The relevant text is John 15:1-8

I am the vine. You are the branches.

I wonder how those disciples heard these words when Jesus spoke them. Here they were, an unexpected assortment of back-woods Galileans, drawn together into a messy tangle of community by their common attachment to Jesus. Branches of a vine, indeed. It may have felt like a nice, quaint image for their community—a community of interdependence, but most of all, a community of loyalty to and connection with Jesus. A community that derived its energy and vision from Jesus—the central vine feeding the whole plant. Bearing fruit of righteousness—goodness in their lives and in their world. Making the world a better place. That’s how this passage is often heard nowadays. I’ll admit that in high school I cross-stitched a sampler of this verse with a pretty cluster of grapes in…

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