How can it be, that we are ushering in another year? This year has gone so very fast! It was Africa Day at TH Middle School on the 19th and Mark and I got to share our stories together to a whole bunch of 7th graders. It was good to see our pictures again and to remember those whom we had shared so much with.
I asked recently what Christmas was like in Africa...were there trees or presents, nativities or angels....It is celebrated as a Christian holiday. Singing carols and dancing dances and going to church on Christmas day to worship for hours celebrating the birth of Jesus. Those who can afford it will generally give gifts The most common thing bought at Christmas is a new set of clothes to be worn to the church service. Many Africans are too poor to be able to afford presents for their kids and there aren't too many toy stores in rural Africa to shop at anyway. If gifts are exchanged in poorer communities they usually come in the form of school books, soap, cloth, candles and other practical goods.
You may see decorated mango trees, and churches are decorated with paper chains and cut outs hanging everywhere. Christmas dinner is likely a roasted goat that the whole village enjoys together. It is summer time, so there is also time at the beach to be enjoyed.
A different world to be sure.
I hope 2009 proves to be a year of great things, a year of jubilee for those captive by what holds them, a year of new vision for the blind, and a year that God knows a great revival of God's people here in the middle of the country and across the world.
May you know peace this day and everyday!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Seasons of Joy...amidst the desperate
About 10 days ago, I received a phone call from a young woman who claimed to be Lori, that she was 17 years old, had a 3 year old, and a 4 year old and one on the way, due Dec 21st. She was new in town from Chicago, the Salvation Army had sent her here, and that she had just left the shelter and was in an apartment with the Housing Authority. She was too late to receive anything from the Salvation Army Christmas and Samaritan Center had also taken all the names they were going to, and could we help with Christmas for her children...
You must know that when these phone calls come, and they come often, my first reaction is to doubt every word I have just heard. And yet, more times than not, I find the story I can't believe is more or less accurate...and I am left with the image of Jesus knocking at the door of the church to see if anyone is at home.
I questioned Lori, about her family and what support she had here in JC..."none, her family didn't care about her and her children's father was in prison somewhere...." I questioned the whole Salvation Army connection and told her I didn't believe one shelter in another state would send someone across state lines...and her response was, "Well that's what happened." And then the big question...what was she looking for, for Christmas? Her children needed clothes and coats and boots.
Now, regardless of how much you believed or didn't believe of this story...couldn't we help with some warm clothes? I knew there were families in the church with children about the same size and even if they were handme downs...it was something. So I told Lori I would see what I could do for her and call her back the following Monday. As I told her story around the church, the Connections Sunday school class became an obvious place that could help...And to their great credit, they were more than willing to pour themselves out for this woman and her children. We talked about mentoring her through some of the hard times ahead, about developing a relationship that would last and maybe make a difference in her life. Truly a huge commitment for the class to take on, but in Christian love, they were willing.
On Monday, Lori called me, and I explained that there were many in the church that wanted to help her, and that I thought she could find support and care for her children as well as for her life. Did she want to make Jefferson City her home? "Yes" then could you come to church on Sunday, so the class could meet you and get to know your needs? In a moment, the dangling string began to unravel..."Well, I'm scheduled for a C-section on Sunday"...they don't schedule C sections on Sundays..."Well they did." I had some hand me downs for the 3 year old and told her I would drop them off and we could meet face to face...(yes, I wanted to see a pregnant 17 year old) and all of a sudden she had an errand to run (with who, she didn't know anyone?) But I could leave them with her neighbor...and she wasn't leaving for another hour...got the address and took off to deliver clothes...as I drove up, the "neighbor" was outside sweeping the porch...well I just missed Lori by a few seconds...she had just left! Hmm I said. I gave her the clothes and said I hoped there was a child that was going to benefit from those clothes and that if they were lying it was going to catch up with them soon...
I began checking stories with the Salvation Army, they don't allow 17 year olds in the shelter, there was no name that matched their records, and that one shelter didn't send people out to another...all I had was this telephone number...through the Food pantry records I had matched it to a name...and the Salvation Army recognized the name and there was a long pause on the other end of the line..."Don't believe a word they have told you....we know them well." But are there children that are in need..."not likely."
This time I called the house and got a new voice to talk to, an older woman, who wasn't in to lying quite as much...there was no 17 year old, there were two 20 somethings, with three children between them. They had nothing and were looking to have some way of giving their children Christmas. As if that made the lies OK...I asked where the children were now..."in daycare" and the moms were out hunting jobs....
And there you have it...another round of life in poverty and want. Why the elaborate lies? Have they been told no so many times that the truth isn't relative anymore? And where was God in all of this?
Here's the joy part....members of the church responded from their hearts and not from their skepticism or judgment seats...there isn't a 17 year old with three children alone in an apartment in Jefferson City - (well at least not that I know of)...a little girl got a new coat and boots that were gently used...and I am wiser but not any less likely to try and help the next phone call I get that asks for it. That is where God has been for me this past week...please pray for these two women...that they might really desire to make straight the paths and maybe, just maybe they will come looking to the church for that help...
Amen
You must know that when these phone calls come, and they come often, my first reaction is to doubt every word I have just heard. And yet, more times than not, I find the story I can't believe is more or less accurate...and I am left with the image of Jesus knocking at the door of the church to see if anyone is at home.
I questioned Lori, about her family and what support she had here in JC..."none, her family didn't care about her and her children's father was in prison somewhere...." I questioned the whole Salvation Army connection and told her I didn't believe one shelter in another state would send someone across state lines...and her response was, "Well that's what happened." And then the big question...what was she looking for, for Christmas? Her children needed clothes and coats and boots.
Now, regardless of how much you believed or didn't believe of this story...couldn't we help with some warm clothes? I knew there were families in the church with children about the same size and even if they were handme downs...it was something. So I told Lori I would see what I could do for her and call her back the following Monday. As I told her story around the church, the Connections Sunday school class became an obvious place that could help...And to their great credit, they were more than willing to pour themselves out for this woman and her children. We talked about mentoring her through some of the hard times ahead, about developing a relationship that would last and maybe make a difference in her life. Truly a huge commitment for the class to take on, but in Christian love, they were willing.
On Monday, Lori called me, and I explained that there were many in the church that wanted to help her, and that I thought she could find support and care for her children as well as for her life. Did she want to make Jefferson City her home? "Yes" then could you come to church on Sunday, so the class could meet you and get to know your needs? In a moment, the dangling string began to unravel..."Well, I'm scheduled for a C-section on Sunday"...they don't schedule C sections on Sundays..."Well they did." I had some hand me downs for the 3 year old and told her I would drop them off and we could meet face to face...(yes, I wanted to see a pregnant 17 year old) and all of a sudden she had an errand to run (with who, she didn't know anyone?) But I could leave them with her neighbor...and she wasn't leaving for another hour...got the address and took off to deliver clothes...as I drove up, the "neighbor" was outside sweeping the porch...well I just missed Lori by a few seconds...she had just left! Hmm I said. I gave her the clothes and said I hoped there was a child that was going to benefit from those clothes and that if they were lying it was going to catch up with them soon...
I began checking stories with the Salvation Army, they don't allow 17 year olds in the shelter, there was no name that matched their records, and that one shelter didn't send people out to another...all I had was this telephone number...through the Food pantry records I had matched it to a name...and the Salvation Army recognized the name and there was a long pause on the other end of the line..."Don't believe a word they have told you....we know them well." But are there children that are in need..."not likely."
This time I called the house and got a new voice to talk to, an older woman, who wasn't in to lying quite as much...there was no 17 year old, there were two 20 somethings, with three children between them. They had nothing and were looking to have some way of giving their children Christmas. As if that made the lies OK...I asked where the children were now..."in daycare" and the moms were out hunting jobs....
And there you have it...another round of life in poverty and want. Why the elaborate lies? Have they been told no so many times that the truth isn't relative anymore? And where was God in all of this?
Here's the joy part....members of the church responded from their hearts and not from their skepticism or judgment seats...there isn't a 17 year old with three children alone in an apartment in Jefferson City - (well at least not that I know of)...a little girl got a new coat and boots that were gently used...and I am wiser but not any less likely to try and help the next phone call I get that asks for it. That is where God has been for me this past week...please pray for these two women...that they might really desire to make straight the paths and maybe, just maybe they will come looking to the church for that help...
Amen
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Where's the Love?
The third Sunday of Advent, the candle of love is brought to life on the Advent wreath. And I have to ask, where's the love?
A difficult conversation at the church around hospitality and church growth and the role of those who are members of the church. While all the details are not important, it is important to locate yourself in the topic. In this conversation, the statement arose, that this person was tired of hearing about growing the church. That they were tired of hearing about new people coming into the church, they had been there longer than most people and it seemed the new people mattered more than this person did. It reminded me of the Parable of Workers in the Vineyard...
Matthew 20
A Story About Workers 1-2 "God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. 3-5"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.
5-6"He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'
7"They said, 'Because no one hired us.'
"He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
8"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'
9-12"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'
13-15"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'
16"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."
We who are in the church today, are the workers who were hired earlier in the day. Some of us were hired at dawn, some of us at 9:00 and some of us at 3:00. But when we came to work in this vineyard, we agreed on the wage - salvation, eternal life, relationship with the God of all creation, so regardless of how long we have been at work, we are all receiving the same wage. So when a worker comes in that was hired at 5:00 - we need to rejoice - because that means there is STILL WORK TO BE DONE. The vineyard owner hasn't decided to call it a day yet. And the Kingdom of God has little to do with hierarchy and power and seniority - but everything to do with grace, peace, and love.
Yes, every worker is important, but one no more than the other - and if you want to push it - scripture says the first shall be last and the last shall be first. I believe this is crucial to the church moving forward. Can we welcome new workers in the field and not be jealous of their wage or their status? Can we let go of the rules of the past and see that those rules perhaps had little to do with God and more to do with human comforts? Bottom line, does God really sit in heaven and judge their appearance or their attitude or their upbringing before inviting someone to work? Where's the love in that? Do we need to respect each other - absolutely - and it must be a mutual respect, and our goal is to tend the vineyard - the kingdom- that God asks us to build - not to turn people off from even stepping foot into it.
I pray as I write, that in my heart is the truth in Christian love, and it is my prayer that these words can bring comfort to those who mourn the loss of "the way things used to be." and hope for the way things could be.
A difficult conversation at the church around hospitality and church growth and the role of those who are members of the church. While all the details are not important, it is important to locate yourself in the topic. In this conversation, the statement arose, that this person was tired of hearing about growing the church. That they were tired of hearing about new people coming into the church, they had been there longer than most people and it seemed the new people mattered more than this person did. It reminded me of the Parable of Workers in the Vineyard...
Matthew 20
A Story About Workers 1-2 "God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. 3-5"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.
5-6"He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'
7"They said, 'Because no one hired us.'
"He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
8"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'
9-12"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'
13-15"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'
16"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."
We who are in the church today, are the workers who were hired earlier in the day. Some of us were hired at dawn, some of us at 9:00 and some of us at 3:00. But when we came to work in this vineyard, we agreed on the wage - salvation, eternal life, relationship with the God of all creation, so regardless of how long we have been at work, we are all receiving the same wage. So when a worker comes in that was hired at 5:00 - we need to rejoice - because that means there is STILL WORK TO BE DONE. The vineyard owner hasn't decided to call it a day yet. And the Kingdom of God has little to do with hierarchy and power and seniority - but everything to do with grace, peace, and love.
Yes, every worker is important, but one no more than the other - and if you want to push it - scripture says the first shall be last and the last shall be first. I believe this is crucial to the church moving forward. Can we welcome new workers in the field and not be jealous of their wage or their status? Can we let go of the rules of the past and see that those rules perhaps had little to do with God and more to do with human comforts? Bottom line, does God really sit in heaven and judge their appearance or their attitude or their upbringing before inviting someone to work? Where's the love in that? Do we need to respect each other - absolutely - and it must be a mutual respect, and our goal is to tend the vineyard - the kingdom- that God asks us to build - not to turn people off from even stepping foot into it.
I pray as I write, that in my heart is the truth in Christian love, and it is my prayer that these words can bring comfort to those who mourn the loss of "the way things used to be." and hope for the way things could be.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Advent Peace
The second Sunday of Advent sees the candle of peace being lit.
Peace - the quiet that we seek from the noise of the world, turning off the news, listening to the rain fall, closing your eyes and listening to your most recent favorite music.
Peace - watching a child sleep, a purring cat in your lap, laughing till you cry
Peace - prayer before falling asleep, reading scripture that affirms God's love and care for God's creation.
As Advent continues to unfold, we also remember that it was a peaceful night that the shepherds were enjoying when the angels broke into it to proclalim a different kind of peace had come into the world. How open are you to having your peace changed...that in the chaos of change there comes a new reality, or a new kind of peace. I do think that is part of the season we are in. God broke into Mary and Joseph's life - and changed everything.
It is late, off to peaceful rest...
God bless and God's peace be in your life.
Peace - the quiet that we seek from the noise of the world, turning off the news, listening to the rain fall, closing your eyes and listening to your most recent favorite music.
Peace - watching a child sleep, a purring cat in your lap, laughing till you cry
Peace - prayer before falling asleep, reading scripture that affirms God's love and care for God's creation.
As Advent continues to unfold, we also remember that it was a peaceful night that the shepherds were enjoying when the angels broke into it to proclalim a different kind of peace had come into the world. How open are you to having your peace changed...that in the chaos of change there comes a new reality, or a new kind of peace. I do think that is part of the season we are in. God broke into Mary and Joseph's life - and changed everything.
It is late, off to peaceful rest...
God bless and God's peace be in your life.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Advent Begins
All the radio stations are playing Christmas music, there are new lights shining every night, and it is feeling and looking more and more like Christmas! We also look at the calendar and shake our heads at how another year could have rolled around so quickly.
Advent has always been a difficult season to get my arms around. A season of preparation, preparing our hearts and lives for the gift that is coming. So sometimes that feels like I need to clean the clutter (of heart and house), so that the focus can be on the right things. Sometimes that feels like the need to slow way down and savor every snowflake that falls and every star that shines, so that I can simply BE in the presence of God and creation. Sometimes that feels like decorating and baking and making gifts for those who are dear, so that all that is festive and extravagant and "simply" beautiful can flow through my heart to others. And sometimes that feels like I don't need to do anything differently, I hope to live expecting God to do wonderous things all the time - anytime...
Advent is also about waiting and hoping. Waiting on a light to change is never very timely...it usually comes when we don't need it and when we need to stop and catch the purse that just fell all we get are green lights....but there is a jumpy-ness when waiting on the light...so it is with Advent...
So as the weeks go by I know Advent will bring many blessings. I'm dipping my big toe in the water and am in the savor place right now. But also living in hope for the things God will do.Many blessings of Advent!
(Photo by Ben Bell of London, who looks for the ancient story in contemporary images.)
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