So begins verse 6 of the 22nd Psalm. The verse finishes,"and when he is older, he will not depart from it." As an educator in the Church, that verse is always floating around in my head, but it was the focus of my thoughts today. At SUMC, we worship this morning was led by our youth. Many of our teens offered their gifts as liturgists, ushers, preacher, children's homilists, readers and musicians. As it always is when youth stand before us in the Sanctuary, it was a special blessing to see the image of Jesus emerging in these young people whom we have watched grow up.
Youth Sunday often reminds us that time passes quickly. Many of us remember these young people's baptisms. Now, they stand before us - tall, poised, literate and accomplished. They have a message to share about their experience of Jesus and where they meet him both in the Church and in the World. They invite us to look with new eyes on the world and the faith we have passed on to them.
We are proud of our young people on Youth Sunday, but I wonder if when we look we see beyond the surface of our pride in them. Our children and youth live in a world many of us could never have imagined. In Sudbury, these young people lead lives of privilege; they play every sport known, belong to drama, choral and musical societies, they learn in an excellent school system with plenty of worthy projects in which they can be involved, they have every recreational device known to God and man, and the opportunity to travel and vacation far from home. When we look at these young people, there lives seem full of opportunity. What could they need from us?
The major task of teens is to form an authentic identity. A common myth of our culture is that teens need to move away from adults into their network of peers to do this work - and so, against our own judgment at times, we let them wander off into the Youth culture, praying they will be safe and make it back to us.
The myth is WRONG. Yes, teenagers need to move away from family for a bit during this time. But it is not only their peers they need to shape their adult identity. They need a constant group of trusted (by both kids and their parents)group of mentors who will keep them company on their journey of discovery. These adults help our young people learn the skills of adulthood; how to plan and carry out, how to make good decisions and what to do when they fall flat on their faces, how to resolve conflict, what questions to ask so that they act in accordance with their own beliefs. And they need Christian, faith-filled adults who will not tell them what to believe, but who will share what they have learned on their own journeys of faith.
It takes a special kind of adult to continue the "training up" our young people. Might you be one of those special folk with the call to mentor our youth? If you are, please let me know.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
“We Dwell in Possibility”
My maternal grandmother, my Nana Windsor, was my best teacher in the faith. She always wore an apron in the pocket of which she kept a small, well-worn New Testament. Her favorite Bible verse was Matthew 19:26b, “But with God all things are possible.” She quoted this verse so often that it became somewhat of a family joke. But when times got tough, our first response was “With God all things are possible.” And you know what? It was true.
I began my doctoral program under the tutelage of a wise, powerful, African-American, ordained Presbyterian woman, the Rev. Dr. Joan Martin. As my doctoral colleagues and I looked at the mountains for work ahead of us and ran into the usual roadblocks of dissertation writing, Joan began every pep-talk or period of taking us to task with, “We dwell in possibility” – a phrase not just from Matthew, but also found in an Emily Dickson poem. And sure enough – as we shifted our outlook from the stress of producing flawless academic prose to the work the Holy Spirit inspired within us, we did begin to see that we did, indeed, “dwell in possibility.”
My Nana and Joan taught me much about looking at the difficult, the challenging, the complicated pieces of life, through the lens of “possibility.” It seems to me that Lent is a place where we can practice “dwelling in the possible”. So much Christian teaching is full of negativity around Lent. Lent IS a time of penitence, of self-reflection, self-denial, prayer and study, but these are the tools, not the goals of Lent. Through these tools, we are invited to experience the “possibility” in being God’s people. We are invited to move away from distraction and catch the glimmers of what God intends for the new creation always in process around us. Silencing the usual din of our lives, we find ourselves called into the “possibility” of walking with Jesus and becoming co-creators of the Kingdom of God. Now THAT is “dwelling in possibility!”
“Possibility” has changed my and my family’s Lenten practice. Yes, we do the prayer, discipline and study, but we also find ways to celebrate the “possible.” It has become our tradition to begin again our family walk (discontinued in the snow and ice) as the days lengthen and pick up the trash we find along the roadside as we go. By caring for the part of the Kingdom in our corner of the neighborhood, we offer our stewardship of God’s creation as a light for others to follow. We volunteer on the Saturday’s in Lent at our local animal shelter for the same reason – we “dwell in the possibility” of God’s Kingdom where all are loved and cared for, even the tiniest of creatures. And in the living of it, we make it real for others to see and follow.
This Lent, I invite you to “dwell in possibility.” Let your prayer lead you to something concrete that you and your family can do to show others what is “possible with God.” Invite a lonely neighbor for a tea party, shop or make a meal for Rosie’s together, spend some time reading to folks at the nursing home. In each of these small ways and in countless others, we are beacons of God’s love that point to the “possibility” inherent the Kingdom of God.
Here is Emily's poem as well:
I Dwell in Possibility By Emily Dickinson
I dwell in possibility-
A fairer house than prose-
More numerous of windows-
Superior for doors-
Of chambers as the Cedars-
Impregnable of Eye-
And for an Everlasting roof
The Gambrels of the sky-
Of visitors – the fairest-
For Occupation- This-
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
I began my doctoral program under the tutelage of a wise, powerful, African-American, ordained Presbyterian woman, the Rev. Dr. Joan Martin. As my doctoral colleagues and I looked at the mountains for work ahead of us and ran into the usual roadblocks of dissertation writing, Joan began every pep-talk or period of taking us to task with, “We dwell in possibility” – a phrase not just from Matthew, but also found in an Emily Dickson poem. And sure enough – as we shifted our outlook from the stress of producing flawless academic prose to the work the Holy Spirit inspired within us, we did begin to see that we did, indeed, “dwell in possibility.”
My Nana and Joan taught me much about looking at the difficult, the challenging, the complicated pieces of life, through the lens of “possibility.” It seems to me that Lent is a place where we can practice “dwelling in the possible”. So much Christian teaching is full of negativity around Lent. Lent IS a time of penitence, of self-reflection, self-denial, prayer and study, but these are the tools, not the goals of Lent. Through these tools, we are invited to experience the “possibility” in being God’s people. We are invited to move away from distraction and catch the glimmers of what God intends for the new creation always in process around us. Silencing the usual din of our lives, we find ourselves called into the “possibility” of walking with Jesus and becoming co-creators of the Kingdom of God. Now THAT is “dwelling in possibility!”
“Possibility” has changed my and my family’s Lenten practice. Yes, we do the prayer, discipline and study, but we also find ways to celebrate the “possible.” It has become our tradition to begin again our family walk (discontinued in the snow and ice) as the days lengthen and pick up the trash we find along the roadside as we go. By caring for the part of the Kingdom in our corner of the neighborhood, we offer our stewardship of God’s creation as a light for others to follow. We volunteer on the Saturday’s in Lent at our local animal shelter for the same reason – we “dwell in the possibility” of God’s Kingdom where all are loved and cared for, even the tiniest of creatures. And in the living of it, we make it real for others to see and follow.
This Lent, I invite you to “dwell in possibility.” Let your prayer lead you to something concrete that you and your family can do to show others what is “possible with God.” Invite a lonely neighbor for a tea party, shop or make a meal for Rosie’s together, spend some time reading to folks at the nursing home. In each of these small ways and in countless others, we are beacons of God’s love that point to the “possibility” inherent the Kingdom of God.
Here is Emily's poem as well:
I Dwell in Possibility By Emily Dickinson
I dwell in possibility-
A fairer house than prose-
More numerous of windows-
Superior for doors-
Of chambers as the Cedars-
Impregnable of Eye-
And for an Everlasting roof
The Gambrels of the sky-
Of visitors – the fairest-
For Occupation- This-
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Sunday, February 14, 2010
"To Observe a Holy Lent"
I know the Christmas pageant was only yesterday, but suddenly, Ash Wednesday is upon this coming Wednesday, and with it comes the Church's ancient practice of inviting us to:
observe a holy Lent; by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word. (UMH Book of Worship, 322).
Many of us have grown up in other faith traditions that stress the penitence of the Lenten season, others of us have some vague recollections of ashes on foreheads and giving up chocolate and for some us, Lent is an entirely new experience. So here are a few thing to share with your children about the Lenten season and some practices you may choose to adopt during this season of growing closer to God that culminates in the celebration of the joyous resurrection of our Lord.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Lent seasonally makes sense. The word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word, "lencten" which means, "as the days grow longer." Increasing light fills our days as we walk the Lenten road, reminding us that although we may struggle now, we are continually moving into the light of Christ that will blaze brightly again on Easter Eve at the Great Vigil of Easter.
The color the Christian church has traditionally used to observe the Lenten season is purple - a color that represents both the kingship of Jesus and the color of penitence. "Repent," the root word of "penitence" is translated three different ways in the Greek of the New Testament. The one we are inviting God's Holy Spirit to work in us during Lent, is "metanoia" - a "turning around." The purposes of reflecting on what we have done wrong is not to make us feel bad about ourselves, the purpose is to create "metanoia" - a refocusing and turn of our hearts and minds to the love and purposes of God. Making a purple paper chain for your kitchen table can be fun to do with your kids and can remind us each day that Lent calls us to "turn around" toward God.
The tradition of giving up things for Lent arose out of the need for a practice to help us turn our hearts and minds back to God, so for generations of the Church, Christians have been invited to let go of the things that separate them from the love of God and the love of each other. The purpose of giving up something is not to make us virtuous, but give space in our lives in which the Holy Spirit might work in us. Try turning off the television, ipods, computers, blackberries,etc. one night during Lent when the entire family is home and see what happens. Some Christians do not find "giving up" things helpful, but rather take on new things that will draw them closer to God or to loving others. This is a good time of year to volunteer with your kids at the local pet shelter or reading to folks at the local nursing home. Often times we meet God in the new practices we begin during Lent and they become habits we keep even after Lent has ended.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The ashes used for imposition are made by burning the Palm branches left over from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration. They are marked on our foreheads in the sign of the cross with the words, "You are dust - and to dust you will return." The practice of dumping ashes on the head goes back to the life of the Israelites when ashes on the head were a symbol of remorse and repentence.
Lent last for forty days, but you have to know the trick the Church uses to calculate those forty days because otherwise, Lent is longer! You count only the six days of the week - Sunday is always considered to be a "little Easter," so it doesn't count toward the forty days. And Holy Week which begins on Palm Sunday is not counted either. Does forty sound familiar? The forty days of Lent represent the days Jesus spent being tempted in the wilderness following his baptism, but forty is a biblical number: during the flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, etc.
So there you have it, the short course on Lent and Lenten practices. What are some of the ways in which your family observes a holy Lent? Be sure to post a comment and share.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
observe a holy Lent; by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word. (UMH Book of Worship, 322).
Many of us have grown up in other faith traditions that stress the penitence of the Lenten season, others of us have some vague recollections of ashes on foreheads and giving up chocolate and for some us, Lent is an entirely new experience. So here are a few thing to share with your children about the Lenten season and some practices you may choose to adopt during this season of growing closer to God that culminates in the celebration of the joyous resurrection of our Lord.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Lent seasonally makes sense. The word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word, "lencten" which means, "as the days grow longer." Increasing light fills our days as we walk the Lenten road, reminding us that although we may struggle now, we are continually moving into the light of Christ that will blaze brightly again on Easter Eve at the Great Vigil of Easter.
The color the Christian church has traditionally used to observe the Lenten season is purple - a color that represents both the kingship of Jesus and the color of penitence. "Repent," the root word of "penitence" is translated three different ways in the Greek of the New Testament. The one we are inviting God's Holy Spirit to work in us during Lent, is "metanoia" - a "turning around." The purposes of reflecting on what we have done wrong is not to make us feel bad about ourselves, the purpose is to create "metanoia" - a refocusing and turn of our hearts and minds to the love and purposes of God. Making a purple paper chain for your kitchen table can be fun to do with your kids and can remind us each day that Lent calls us to "turn around" toward God.
The tradition of giving up things for Lent arose out of the need for a practice to help us turn our hearts and minds back to God, so for generations of the Church, Christians have been invited to let go of the things that separate them from the love of God and the love of each other. The purpose of giving up something is not to make us virtuous, but give space in our lives in which the Holy Spirit might work in us. Try turning off the television, ipods, computers, blackberries,etc. one night during Lent when the entire family is home and see what happens. Some Christians do not find "giving up" things helpful, but rather take on new things that will draw them closer to God or to loving others. This is a good time of year to volunteer with your kids at the local pet shelter or reading to folks at the local nursing home. Often times we meet God in the new practices we begin during Lent and they become habits we keep even after Lent has ended.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The ashes used for imposition are made by burning the Palm branches left over from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration. They are marked on our foreheads in the sign of the cross with the words, "You are dust - and to dust you will return." The practice of dumping ashes on the head goes back to the life of the Israelites when ashes on the head were a symbol of remorse and repentence.
Lent last for forty days, but you have to know the trick the Church uses to calculate those forty days because otherwise, Lent is longer! You count only the six days of the week - Sunday is always considered to be a "little Easter," so it doesn't count toward the forty days. And Holy Week which begins on Palm Sunday is not counted either. Does forty sound familiar? The forty days of Lent represent the days Jesus spent being tempted in the wilderness following his baptism, but forty is a biblical number: during the flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, etc.
So there you have it, the short course on Lent and Lenten practices. What are some of the ways in which your family observes a holy Lent? Be sure to post a comment and share.
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
Sunday, February 7, 2010
"Fill the Earth and Subdue It"
"In the beginning when God created" - so begins Genesis, the first book of the Bible. The Christian story starts with the Creation. God separates the waters, the day and night, and fills the Earth with plants and animals. We are given the image of a lush and fertile world, balanced and in harmony as God intended it to be. Finally, as the crown of creation - or so we are told - God creates "humankind in our image; according to our likeness; and let[s] them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26). And from about that point on, things begin to go down hill.
The Creation narrative ends with the expulsion of the man and the woman from the Garden of Eden as punishment for having eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The world so lovingly created by God begins to tilt out of balance because of human disobedience.
We hear much about global warming, climate change and declining resources in our world, and there are many at this present moment who are working for ecological justice, trying to turn back the centuries of misuse and abuse of the Creation before it is too late. It doesn't take a degree in theology to wonder if humankind took "dominion over" the Creation far too literally to heart. And there is a strand in Christian theology that pushed the notion that because humankind was at the top of the created order and had been given dominion over the creation by God, humankind could do whatever it liked with the stuff of Creation.
We know now that we got it wrong. "Dominion over" was not intended to be license to destroy. We were meant to care for the Creation the way our God who created us in God's image would have. So how do we begin to do this? How do we move ourselves away from "dominion over" toward "harmony with?"
Lent is fast approaching and will begin in the middle of the school vacation week with the traditional words of the Ash Wednesday service, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." We are not set above the Creation; Ash Wednesday reminds us we are part of that Creation. Lent is historically the time when Christians have been asked to examine their lives and their practices to identify where we have strayed from God's purposes and to turn ourselves back to the life God calls us to lead. The theological term for this process is "metanoia" a Greek word that means "to change one's mind," but is interpreted in the New Testament as "repent."
This Lent, the Social Justice commission invites us to use the Lenten time of reflection and return to focus on our relationship with the Creation. We are invited to participate in a "Carbon Fast" - helping us to live in right relation with the world that God has so lovingly made and with the other members of humankind God created. Your children should have come home from Church today with material about the fast and some ideas about one thing each week they can do differently to reduce carbon emissions and help the Creation to heal and begin the long return to balance and harmony. Please spend some time with your children talking about what you can do, not only during the Lenten season, but going forward in your lives as a Christian family. The Social Justice commission will have a place set up in Hawes Hall to record your family's ideas and practices. Be sure to join in!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
The Creation narrative ends with the expulsion of the man and the woman from the Garden of Eden as punishment for having eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The world so lovingly created by God begins to tilt out of balance because of human disobedience.
We hear much about global warming, climate change and declining resources in our world, and there are many at this present moment who are working for ecological justice, trying to turn back the centuries of misuse and abuse of the Creation before it is too late. It doesn't take a degree in theology to wonder if humankind took "dominion over" the Creation far too literally to heart. And there is a strand in Christian theology that pushed the notion that because humankind was at the top of the created order and had been given dominion over the creation by God, humankind could do whatever it liked with the stuff of Creation.
We know now that we got it wrong. "Dominion over" was not intended to be license to destroy. We were meant to care for the Creation the way our God who created us in God's image would have. So how do we begin to do this? How do we move ourselves away from "dominion over" toward "harmony with?"
Lent is fast approaching and will begin in the middle of the school vacation week with the traditional words of the Ash Wednesday service, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." We are not set above the Creation; Ash Wednesday reminds us we are part of that Creation. Lent is historically the time when Christians have been asked to examine their lives and their practices to identify where we have strayed from God's purposes and to turn ourselves back to the life God calls us to lead. The theological term for this process is "metanoia" a Greek word that means "to change one's mind," but is interpreted in the New Testament as "repent."
This Lent, the Social Justice commission invites us to use the Lenten time of reflection and return to focus on our relationship with the Creation. We are invited to participate in a "Carbon Fast" - helping us to live in right relation with the world that God has so lovingly made and with the other members of humankind God created. Your children should have come home from Church today with material about the fast and some ideas about one thing each week they can do differently to reduce carbon emissions and help the Creation to heal and begin the long return to balance and harmony. Please spend some time with your children talking about what you can do, not only during the Lenten season, but going forward in your lives as a Christian family. The Social Justice commission will have a place set up in Hawes Hall to record your family's ideas and practices. Be sure to join in!
Faithfully,
Elizabeth
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