Yes, Obama is our next POTUS. I am very happy about that. Sadly though, I watched silently as 3 states in our country joined many others in writing discrimination into their state constitutions (yes, California may appear too-close-to-call, but let's face reality). What do I mean? The issue is about gay marriage, but really it is quite bigger than that. Say what you will about gay marriage, that is not my point.
Here is what the issue truly boils down to. The STATE (meaning the government, not a particular entity) has created a legal concept known as marriage (or put your own state-created right in there). That legal concept includes some responsibilities, but also includes a great deal of rights and state-offered benefits. The State's apparent reason for this legal concept and the rights/benefits offered to those who partake of the legal concept is that marriage promotes stability, reduces crime, encourages population growth, and so on. Now, imagine that the State then comes in and says "You people are prohibited from marrying because of some immutable characteristic that you were born with and we don't like it."
Most of the amendments banning gay marriage are definitional amendments, and generally they read: "MARRIAGE IS DEFINED AS THE LEGAL UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN." Does this stop gays from marrying? No, so long as they marry someone of the opposite gender, not necessarily the one they love. Okay, so let's change the definition a bit.
"MARRIAGE IS DEFINED AS THE LEGAL UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN OF THE SAME RACE."
"MARRIAGE IS DEFINED AS THE LEGAL UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN OF THE SAME IQ."
"MARRIAGE IS DEFINED AS THE LEGAL UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN OF THE SAME ANCESTRAL NATIONAL ORIGIN."
"MARRIAGE IS DEFINED AS THE LEGAL UNION OF ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN OF THE SAME FAITH."
Same race? That was tossed out by our U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that it was discriminatory. What, you say? Yes, as recently as 45 years ago, certain states said that a marriage between a white person and a black person was constitutionally prohibited. They said that marriage between races was against the Bible. They said that marriage between races would destroy the institution of marriage. Hmmm, this sounds familiar, but we will get back to that later.
Same IQ? Well that prohibition would basically prohibit Republicans and Democrats from every getting married. But in all seriousness, intelligence is, at least in part, an innate characteristic. Why not prohibit opposite-intelligence marriages? It would protect people from having one person in control, which could lead to financial or physical abuse, which could result in divorce, which destroys the sanctity of marriage.
Same national origin? Again, why not? Let's not let someone of Irish descent marry someone of English descent. No Arab-Jew weddings for this blogger. See how we can create unity through force. I love this idea.
Same faith? Really, most people don't get to choose their religion. It is chosen long before. Can we really have a sanctified marriage if one of the participants, let's say she is Jewish, does believe in her husband's Messiah? We are asking for loads of trouble.
We don't do any of these discriminatory actions, which would very much protect this concept of the "sanctity of marriage," and "protecting our families." I am confused. We say it is time for change. We went out into the world and said no more to the old ways. And here we sit, writing discrimination into state constitutions.
How does someone's choice of soulmate destroy the sanctity of marriage? I guess because "the gay" is contagious? We will be damned if our children will be forced to read "King and King" (a book about prince who seeks love and marries a prince), but we give our children over to television and violent video games. I guess love in non-traditional forms is bad, but blood-spattered heads and half-naked eye-candy is totally cool (so long as it isn't gay, unless the blood-spattered heads are on gays). It is totally okay for people to choose not to marry and have children together, but when two people of the same gender choose to do so, that is bad.
America has a new dawn before it. Sadly, there are storm clouds trying to block out the sun. I guess this is our America. A time for change. Where discrimination is okay when the person you are discriminating against is "icky." Go kiss your bride, America, but watch out for the stubble.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Marriage, Society, and Hope for Individual Responsibility
Okay, it really is time to open my mouth and say some things. The chips are falling where they may with the gay marriage debate. Massachusetts, then California, then Connecticut, and Iowa is waiting in the wings with a decision likely in late Winter. So why say anything? I guess because it is time to really let people just how pissed off I am at the propaganda tactics. For the record, I am in favor of marriage generally, regardless of orientation. Hey, the "state" felt it necessary to create a legal entity known as a "marriage," and so it cannot continue to behave so one-sidedly when it comes to those who wish to be married to the partner of their choosing.
The California decision is a hot one because they have a ballot initiative, with semantics wars going back and forth, to ban marriage. Each side is now engaged in an advertising battle to end all advertising battles. Here is some print media garbage from the "Yes on Prop 8" (against gay marriage) people:
"California's state Education Code (Sections 51890 and 51933) requires that teachers instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. If the California gay marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage. Proposition 8 protects children from being taught in California public schools that same-sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage."
WHAT??? Yes, that's exactly what was said. Here is the substance of the ad: The ad features a young girl arriving home from school to show her mother a picture book that was read to her class by their teacher that day. The book, "King and King," is about a prince marrying another prince, "and I can marry a princess" the girl says, to her mother's disbelief.
WHAT, part 2????? So, now, reading something about homosexuality makes you gay (or at least to the Yes on 8 people, makes you consider going gay). Truly, I am perturbed for many reasons, but the most important is this: Since when are parents prohibited from having discussions with children about what they learn in school and whether they agree with what is taught? Seriously, there are lots of things I was taught in school that my parents did not agree with. But isn't that what education is all about - the advancement of knowledge by the free exchange of ideas? Do I think that a 7-year old should be taught anything about marriage (regardless of orientation)? Hell no. Children should never learn about the horrible institution of marriage (and all the ills it seems to bring into people's lives) until they have mastered algebra.
Am I anti-marriage? No, I love it. But when it comes to our children learning about math and music before learning about social institutions, I choose the basic learning first. However, if it is going to be taught, teach it fairly and openly. If there is a parent that disagrees, then by all means, do you job as a parent and teach your children your values. I guess I am just fired up mostly because I cannot believe that we live in a society that treats classes of people differently and turns to the government when being a parent is too hard. Next thing you know we will be asking the government to make interracial marriage illegal and asking the going to install parental control chips in our television sets.
The California decision is a hot one because they have a ballot initiative, with semantics wars going back and forth, to ban marriage. Each side is now engaged in an advertising battle to end all advertising battles. Here is some print media garbage from the "Yes on Prop 8" (against gay marriage) people:
"California's state Education Code (Sections 51890 and 51933) requires that teachers instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. If the California gay marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage. Proposition 8 protects children from being taught in California public schools that same-sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage."
WHAT??? Yes, that's exactly what was said. Here is the substance of the ad: The ad features a young girl arriving home from school to show her mother a picture book that was read to her class by their teacher that day. The book, "King and King," is about a prince marrying another prince, "and I can marry a princess" the girl says, to her mother's disbelief.
WHAT, part 2????? So, now, reading something about homosexuality makes you gay (or at least to the Yes on 8 people, makes you consider going gay). Truly, I am perturbed for many reasons, but the most important is this: Since when are parents prohibited from having discussions with children about what they learn in school and whether they agree with what is taught? Seriously, there are lots of things I was taught in school that my parents did not agree with. But isn't that what education is all about - the advancement of knowledge by the free exchange of ideas? Do I think that a 7-year old should be taught anything about marriage (regardless of orientation)? Hell no. Children should never learn about the horrible institution of marriage (and all the ills it seems to bring into people's lives) until they have mastered algebra.
Am I anti-marriage? No, I love it. But when it comes to our children learning about math and music before learning about social institutions, I choose the basic learning first. However, if it is going to be taught, teach it fairly and openly. If there is a parent that disagrees, then by all means, do you job as a parent and teach your children your values. I guess I am just fired up mostly because I cannot believe that we live in a society that treats classes of people differently and turns to the government when being a parent is too hard. Next thing you know we will be asking the government to make interracial marriage illegal and asking the going to install parental control chips in our television sets.
Monday, October 06, 2008
I speak in the tongues of men and of angels
It's been some time since I wrote here. Partly, it is because I have had a lot of work, a lot of baby raising, and a lot of personal time to enjoy. I was pondering a lot of things and I am reminded of a few phrases that have had some relevance to me lately:
1) If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
2) It is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
3) Gossip is like a boomerang. It will hit its intended target, but don't forget that it comes back to the thrower.
4) Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter.
I have to let you know one important thing. The quote from paragraph #4 is often attributed to Dr. Seuss. I have to clear something up. It's not from the good doctor. Sure, it fits his later writing style (Oh, The Places You'll Go), but he didn't write it.
So what is this rambling all for? I guess I am an unapproachable person, because many people (from the courthouse, from non-work world, and even from church) have been very free with their words and judgments about me. I find that interesting, but more so, I find it sad. I am certainly not perfect, but well, suppose you could address the concerns directly to me. Anyways, I am just irritable enough to let bad attitudes get to me. So, take this real Dr. Seuss quote to heart this week: "So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads."
1) If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
2) It is better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
3) Gossip is like a boomerang. It will hit its intended target, but don't forget that it comes back to the thrower.
4) Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter.
I have to let you know one important thing. The quote from paragraph #4 is often attributed to Dr. Seuss. I have to clear something up. It's not from the good doctor. Sure, it fits his later writing style (Oh, The Places You'll Go), but he didn't write it.
So what is this rambling all for? I guess I am an unapproachable person, because many people (from the courthouse, from non-work world, and even from church) have been very free with their words and judgments about me. I find that interesting, but more so, I find it sad. I am certainly not perfect, but well, suppose you could address the concerns directly to me. Anyways, I am just irritable enough to let bad attitudes get to me. So, take this real Dr. Seuss quote to heart this week: "So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads."
Sunday, August 03, 2008
I Believe in Unicorns
My sermon from July 27, 2008 called:
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
One day, years ago, my friend Mike, a devout agnostic, asked me, after our philosophy of theology class, “Why do you believe in Jesus?”
Stunned by this very unusual question, I answered, “Because that’s who I was taught to believe in.” And then the discussion went away. We were college students and pizza was more important. And I was sliding closer to agnoticism myself.
So, when this question came to me from our youth group earlier this year, the question required an answer. And the question was more quixotic than I had encountered before. Why? Because it was this question, “Why should I believe in Jesus? I can’t even see him in my daily life.” Talk about a sermon that writes itself. And so, I set out to ponder all the things I believe without actual visual proof.
I believe in gravity. I have never seen gravity personally, although I have seen gravity in action when my lumbering body finds one of the many invisible holes in the ground that plague our country. I believe in air. I have never seen air personally, except when I have visited Los Angeles. I know that air is there because I breathe. I believe in the Cubs winning the World Series. I have never seen it personally, but the rubber wristband I have from Wrigley Field has one word on it . . . “believe.” I believe there are Democrats in DuPage County. DEMOCRAT VISUAL AID. No one has ever truly seen one here, but they do exist. They leave droppings and clues everywhere.
I believe in this guy – SHOW SANTA VISUAL AID. I have never seen Santa Claus. I have never spoken to him face to face. I have never been able to find real, CSI evidence of his existence. But I believe. How could you not? Selflessly thinks of others. Is independently wealthy. Impeccable choice of covert outfits. Why this Santa fella is okay. He is almost at Batman levels of popularity.
But not even Santa comes close to this though. I need something as a better example. Something powerful. Something imaginative. Something with one horn coming from its forehead. Unicorns – that’s it. SHOW UNICORN VISUAL AID. Unicorns are sometimes associated with pink fluffy clouds and pretty scenery. However, unicorns are also noble, powerful, and fierce. But more importantly, unicorns fall into the realm of magic and wisdom. So, why talk about them here? Well, there’s a story about a little girl who finds her way into a crazy, magical world. Her name is Alice. She meets many people and creatures during her adventures. In one scene, she has just met Humpty Dumpty, and then a flurry of all the king’s horses and all the king’s men arrive. Finally, she settles down at a tea party, and a there he is ---- the unicorn. Now, everyone at the tea party is a bit nutty, except for Alice and this unicorn.
The unicorn has never seen a child before. Awestruck at this find, the unicorn remarks that he always thought children were wild, fantastic monsters. When Alice responds, she too is awestruck, saying that she always thought unicorns were fabulous creatures. It is then that the unicorn says it all, “well, now that we have seen each other, if you believe in me, I’ll believe in you. Is that a bargain?” They celebrate this moment of belief with a plum-cake.
Believe is a strange word. It means to accept something as true and factual. It means to have an opinion on something. It means to have a strong conviction in the goodness or ability of something or someone. It means to have religious faith. Whatever meaning you attach to the word, to believe is something monumental. And nowhere does believing require proof, fact, or evidence.
Let’s look at our Old Testament reading. The brief reading from 2nd Chronicles is part of a tumultuous time in the Kingdom of Judah. Jehoshaphat is a king in trouble. Ammonites and Moabites are attacking. Things do not look good. And so, Jehoshaphat and his people do what anyone might do when faced with terrible adversity. They pray to God. And God’s spirit comes down and reassures them and tells them that the battle is His, not theirs. And on the morning of the impending battle, like a good leader, Jehoshaphat says to his people: Believe in the Lord and you shall be saved. Believe in His prophets and you will succeed. Believe in the Lord and you shall be saved. That’s a powerful request when faced with the probability of annihilation by your enemies. But not only that, believe in His prophets and you will succeed. Imagine being at rock bottom and having someone tell you to believe in God and everything will be okay. That is not only cold comfort in hard times, it is also rather difficult to do when staring into an abyss.
If we look back to Alice and the Unicorn, it might make more sense. Alice to me represents the absolute innocence of humanity in a world that completely lacks any sense whatsoever. Things are topsy turvy and no one is helping Alice find her way back to comfort and safety. I am not going to imply that the unicorn is intended to represent God, but for this sermon, let’s just go with that. With a queen trying to kill everyone, a cat that toys with people for his own amusement, and a world filled with looneys, Alice is beyond lost, and when she sees this magical creature, a spark of hope begins. And this unicorn says it all, “If you believe in me, I’ll believe in you.”
Simple message – easily lost on people.
So we turn to our New Testament reading. Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, comes to Jesus in the night to express his thoughts that God must be with Jesus because of all the miracles he has performed. After some dialogue, Nicodemus still does not understand the spiritual rebirth that Jesus tells him all must have. Jesus, with some dismay, says that with all the earthly things Nicodemus has seen, he still does not believe, and given that, how will Nicodemus believe when Jesus speaks of the heavenly things. And then we come to the point of the reading. Believe in me and you will have eternal life. The unicorn couldn’t have said it better.
Hearing is easy. Believing is hard. So why believe? Perhaps we might go back to childhood and this guy again – SANTA PIC. We see Santa as kids and think of joy, kindness, love, and peace. We say Santa is for kids, but I disagree. Santa is for adults. For that one day, Santa restores our faith in the world. Santa renews our hope that things will be brighter. In short, we believe in Santa because he believes in us. He doesn’t ask us for anything more.
When I wandered through college, I grew to be faithless and non-believing. It wasn’t because I had learned science and philosophy and so on to replace Jesus. It wasn’t because my days had been filled with more worldly passions which drew me away from God. It was because of the very question you heard me mention earlier – how can I believe in Jesus when I can’t even see him in my daily life? As a college kid, I had gone beyond the simple message and wanted more. I needed to see Jesus and see evidence that he was in my life. I did not know that I saw it all along.
The journey back to Jesus came at one of those abyss moments, like Jehoshaphat faced when the Ammonites and Moabites surrounded him. I won’t go into it, but I learned I didn’t need proof. I just needed to believe. God would take care of the rest. He would believe in me. He would make things better. So the best way to answer the question posed, is this: Believe and look around. Jesus is there in your daily life, believing in you when you eat breakfast, when you play in the yard, when you drive a car, when you spend time with family, and even when you sit alone in quiet times.
LOOK AT THIS PICTURE. (show Jesus picture)
NOW CLOSE YOUR EYES.
YOU ARE STANDING BEFORE JESUS.
YOU CONFESS YOUR BELIEF IN HIM.
AND HE SAYS
“I BELIEVE IN YOU.”
AMEN.
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
One day, years ago, my friend Mike, a devout agnostic, asked me, after our philosophy of theology class, “Why do you believe in Jesus?”
Stunned by this very unusual question, I answered, “Because that’s who I was taught to believe in.” And then the discussion went away. We were college students and pizza was more important. And I was sliding closer to agnoticism myself.
So, when this question came to me from our youth group earlier this year, the question required an answer. And the question was more quixotic than I had encountered before. Why? Because it was this question, “Why should I believe in Jesus? I can’t even see him in my daily life.” Talk about a sermon that writes itself. And so, I set out to ponder all the things I believe without actual visual proof.
I believe in gravity. I have never seen gravity personally, although I have seen gravity in action when my lumbering body finds one of the many invisible holes in the ground that plague our country. I believe in air. I have never seen air personally, except when I have visited Los Angeles. I know that air is there because I breathe. I believe in the Cubs winning the World Series. I have never seen it personally, but the rubber wristband I have from Wrigley Field has one word on it . . . “believe.” I believe there are Democrats in DuPage County. DEMOCRAT VISUAL AID. No one has ever truly seen one here, but they do exist. They leave droppings and clues everywhere.
I believe in this guy – SHOW SANTA VISUAL AID. I have never seen Santa Claus. I have never spoken to him face to face. I have never been able to find real, CSI evidence of his existence. But I believe. How could you not? Selflessly thinks of others. Is independently wealthy. Impeccable choice of covert outfits. Why this Santa fella is okay. He is almost at Batman levels of popularity.
But not even Santa comes close to this though. I need something as a better example. Something powerful. Something imaginative. Something with one horn coming from its forehead. Unicorns – that’s it. SHOW UNICORN VISUAL AID. Unicorns are sometimes associated with pink fluffy clouds and pretty scenery. However, unicorns are also noble, powerful, and fierce. But more importantly, unicorns fall into the realm of magic and wisdom. So, why talk about them here? Well, there’s a story about a little girl who finds her way into a crazy, magical world. Her name is Alice. She meets many people and creatures during her adventures. In one scene, she has just met Humpty Dumpty, and then a flurry of all the king’s horses and all the king’s men arrive. Finally, she settles down at a tea party, and a there he is ---- the unicorn. Now, everyone at the tea party is a bit nutty, except for Alice and this unicorn.
The unicorn has never seen a child before. Awestruck at this find, the unicorn remarks that he always thought children were wild, fantastic monsters. When Alice responds, she too is awestruck, saying that she always thought unicorns were fabulous creatures. It is then that the unicorn says it all, “well, now that we have seen each other, if you believe in me, I’ll believe in you. Is that a bargain?” They celebrate this moment of belief with a plum-cake.
Believe is a strange word. It means to accept something as true and factual. It means to have an opinion on something. It means to have a strong conviction in the goodness or ability of something or someone. It means to have religious faith. Whatever meaning you attach to the word, to believe is something monumental. And nowhere does believing require proof, fact, or evidence.
Let’s look at our Old Testament reading. The brief reading from 2nd Chronicles is part of a tumultuous time in the Kingdom of Judah. Jehoshaphat is a king in trouble. Ammonites and Moabites are attacking. Things do not look good. And so, Jehoshaphat and his people do what anyone might do when faced with terrible adversity. They pray to God. And God’s spirit comes down and reassures them and tells them that the battle is His, not theirs. And on the morning of the impending battle, like a good leader, Jehoshaphat says to his people: Believe in the Lord and you shall be saved. Believe in His prophets and you will succeed. Believe in the Lord and you shall be saved. That’s a powerful request when faced with the probability of annihilation by your enemies. But not only that, believe in His prophets and you will succeed. Imagine being at rock bottom and having someone tell you to believe in God and everything will be okay. That is not only cold comfort in hard times, it is also rather difficult to do when staring into an abyss.
If we look back to Alice and the Unicorn, it might make more sense. Alice to me represents the absolute innocence of humanity in a world that completely lacks any sense whatsoever. Things are topsy turvy and no one is helping Alice find her way back to comfort and safety. I am not going to imply that the unicorn is intended to represent God, but for this sermon, let’s just go with that. With a queen trying to kill everyone, a cat that toys with people for his own amusement, and a world filled with looneys, Alice is beyond lost, and when she sees this magical creature, a spark of hope begins. And this unicorn says it all, “If you believe in me, I’ll believe in you.”
Simple message – easily lost on people.
So we turn to our New Testament reading. Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, comes to Jesus in the night to express his thoughts that God must be with Jesus because of all the miracles he has performed. After some dialogue, Nicodemus still does not understand the spiritual rebirth that Jesus tells him all must have. Jesus, with some dismay, says that with all the earthly things Nicodemus has seen, he still does not believe, and given that, how will Nicodemus believe when Jesus speaks of the heavenly things. And then we come to the point of the reading. Believe in me and you will have eternal life. The unicorn couldn’t have said it better.
Hearing is easy. Believing is hard. So why believe? Perhaps we might go back to childhood and this guy again – SANTA PIC. We see Santa as kids and think of joy, kindness, love, and peace. We say Santa is for kids, but I disagree. Santa is for adults. For that one day, Santa restores our faith in the world. Santa renews our hope that things will be brighter. In short, we believe in Santa because he believes in us. He doesn’t ask us for anything more.
When I wandered through college, I grew to be faithless and non-believing. It wasn’t because I had learned science and philosophy and so on to replace Jesus. It wasn’t because my days had been filled with more worldly passions which drew me away from God. It was because of the very question you heard me mention earlier – how can I believe in Jesus when I can’t even see him in my daily life? As a college kid, I had gone beyond the simple message and wanted more. I needed to see Jesus and see evidence that he was in my life. I did not know that I saw it all along.
The journey back to Jesus came at one of those abyss moments, like Jehoshaphat faced when the Ammonites and Moabites surrounded him. I won’t go into it, but I learned I didn’t need proof. I just needed to believe. God would take care of the rest. He would believe in me. He would make things better. So the best way to answer the question posed, is this: Believe and look around. Jesus is there in your daily life, believing in you when you eat breakfast, when you play in the yard, when you drive a car, when you spend time with family, and even when you sit alone in quiet times.
LOOK AT THIS PICTURE. (show Jesus picture)
NOW CLOSE YOUR EYES.
YOU ARE STANDING BEFORE JESUS.
YOU CONFESS YOUR BELIEF IN HIM.
AND HE SAYS
“I BELIEVE IN YOU.”
AMEN.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Martian Child and Adoption Movies
Lately, adoption has been the topic of some mainstream movies. Juno - and you know how much I love that movie. But also, Martian Child. Never saw it in theatres (and it was panned by most critics). But I finally rented it. Story of a single man adopting a child? Yep, I can relate. Sure the movie is schmaltzy and the child in the movie is far older than my child. But I still saw it there. The quizzical looks at a man who wants to adopt. And then, in classic writer . . . whatever . . . one of those quotes arrives to make me think:
"But right now, you and me, here put together entirely from atoms, sitting on this round rock with a core of liquid iron held down by this force, that so troubles you, called gravity. All the while spinning around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour and whizzing through the milky way at 600,000 miles an hour in a universe that very well may be chasing its own tail at the speed of light. And amidst all this frantic activity fully cognizant of our own imminent demise, which is a very pretty way of saying, "we all know we're gonna die," we reach out to one another. Sometimes for the sake of vanity, sometimes for reasons you're not old enough to understand yet, but a lot of the time we just reach out and expect nothing in return. Isn't that strange? Isn't that weird? Isn't that weird enough?"
And I pondered it for a while. Why do we reach out? It is weird and it is strange. I received a thank you note from a woman at my church today. She has no kids in my youth group (hers, I believe, are long grown up). She is definitely more straight-laced than I am. And she reached out to me. She told me how much everyone is blessed by what I do (her words, not mine). And I thought - WOW! I don't do youth ministry for the accolades and it isn't for the pay. It's to reach out. It's to change one thing or one perspective for someone. And that is weird enough!
"But right now, you and me, here put together entirely from atoms, sitting on this round rock with a core of liquid iron held down by this force, that so troubles you, called gravity. All the while spinning around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour and whizzing through the milky way at 600,000 miles an hour in a universe that very well may be chasing its own tail at the speed of light. And amidst all this frantic activity fully cognizant of our own imminent demise, which is a very pretty way of saying, "we all know we're gonna die," we reach out to one another. Sometimes for the sake of vanity, sometimes for reasons you're not old enough to understand yet, but a lot of the time we just reach out and expect nothing in return. Isn't that strange? Isn't that weird? Isn't that weird enough?"
And I pondered it for a while. Why do we reach out? It is weird and it is strange. I received a thank you note from a woman at my church today. She has no kids in my youth group (hers, I believe, are long grown up). She is definitely more straight-laced than I am. And she reached out to me. She told me how much everyone is blessed by what I do (her words, not mine). And I thought - WOW! I don't do youth ministry for the accolades and it isn't for the pay. It's to reach out. It's to change one thing or one perspective for someone. And that is weird enough!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Nine in the Afternoon
It was brought to my attention that I have been lax in my blogging. Well that's typical me - easily sidetracked - this time by a baby. I owe you all a blog and you know what? I seriously cannot think of anything to say. Sometimes, it's time to just go back in time and reminisce. Being back in my old middle school (which is now a high school - which is what it was before it became my middle school), I had a weird energy vibe. Time was all off key - like it was Nine in the Afternoon (pop song title). Or, it could have been the ungodly heat in the auditorium. Sorry, this blog sucked.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Sunday of the Living Dead
Okay, so I have been a tad busy with work and with raising the baby. Here is a sermon I gave today at church.
--------------
This is one of those sermons. You know the one. The doom and gloom with the message of hope at the end. I know, it’s weird, the preacher telling you in advance what kind of sermon is coming. But it’s sometimes good to know what you are getting into. Every time I have the opportunity to preach to you, I find myself opening the door of my life a little wider to you all and to God. You have learned from past sermons that I am a Star Trek geek. You have learned my favorite bible passage is about jars of clay. You’ve learned that I think the Simpsons is the most religious show on network television. I have yet another confession to make. I really dig zombie movies. Dawn of the Dead, the original one, is probably one of my favorites. I am fascinated by the things that go bump in the night, but I am also fascinated at how deep a message zombie movies offer. Night of the Living Dead is a commentary on racism and racial unity. Dawn of the Dead is a commentary on consumerism and capitalism. Day of the Dead speaks to isolation of the human soul. 28 Days Later is a commentary on our own self-destructive behavior from playing God. Yep, zombie movies have a message.
One of the unique things about zombies, and I apologize for graphic imagery here, is that they usually must consume human flesh. There is never an explanation why, nor an understanding of the how. It just is. The zombies don't seem eat out of hunger, it is just an instinctual and ritualistic reaction. The food doesn't even appear necessary. It's just something to do. Now, as you sit in your pews, slightly uncomfortable as to how I might link zombies and a spiritual message, I have to lay out the plot of the zombie movie. Trust me, it will all come together in the end. First, there is a quiet, normalcy to the beginning of the zombie movie. Life is okay. Nothing strange is going on. Then, one or two odd occurrences pop up. People disappear, strange attacks happen. No one is quite certain what is going on. Then, the big reveal is that zombies are everywhere and they are multiplying. There is still no knowledge of how it happened. Was it a comet? A military experiment? A sign from God? No answers, and the zombies are getting closer to the heroes trapped in a building. Finally, one human takes a chance to change his or her fate and the zombies are vanquished (or so we think).
So where does the spiritual message come in? Well, there's a problem with our faith. Not just at St. Matthew. Not just in Wheaton. It's everywhere. We come to church every Sunday, well, most of us do. Some of us are still the kind of churchgoer I affectionately call a Chreaster - the Christmas and Easter churchgoer. Whatever the season or reason, we go to church because it is what you do on Sunday. We consume the message, as an instinctual and ritualistic reaction. But the message doesn't even appear necessary to us. It's just something to do. We find it hard to incorporate the Word into our lives. We find it hard even to incorporate the sermon into our lives. We go about our business, not quite spiritually dead, but certainly not spiritually alive. We are the spiritual undead. We are the spiritual zombies. Each one of us probably could pinpoint times in our lives when we clearly were spiritually alive, and the times when were spiritually dead. On the path to spiritual zombiehood, we are not quite sure how it happened. It just does. What we begin to realize with this spiritual zombieness is that we are everywhere. We just continue to get larger. We are the Sunday of the Living Dead. We grow apathetic in our faith because it is just there to be consumed every Sunday morning (or Saturday evening, in some churches, whose zombie groups have burst their seams). The Word doesn't nourish us, because it can't. We aren't letting it in. Our apathy and our selfishness in our faith and worship are infectious. In the movies, zombies spread through biting and blood. The spread of spiritual apathy comes much in the same way. We are biting at our fellow members for one reason or another. Blood, the blood of anger and self-focus, tends to flow in congregations from time to time. And that message does spread like an infection. The infected become one of the zombies. The insulated few hide out and wait for their moment to halt the spread of the undead. Or they turn to isolation and departure. This is not good either.
So there it is and now the question becomes "where is that one human who takes a chance to change the fate and vanquish the zombies?" Well, here's the best part, you need only look to today's readings. Talk about an awesome message from our gracious and loving God. In the Valley of Dry Bones, God asks, “Son of Man, can these bones live again?” And in response, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” And then God says that he will bring the bones together, attach flesh, cover them with skin, and breathe life into them. God takes long dead bones, which are just there, doing nothing. He breathes life into them. And they rise. But God says more on that. He calls the bones the whole House of Israel. He likens them to people who are hopeless and in despair. God promises to open up their graves and breathe life into them. He promises them home in Israel. God is calling out. I am here for you. I will breathe my spirit into you and you will live. I will make it better. I am the Lord and this has been prophesied to you.
Now there is something awesome about that. Imagine seeing a field of dead bones come back to life, to reform as humans. God’s Word is all it took. Now, imagine you are in that field today. The raising of the bones is a metaphor too, for God bring hope back into our lives. Don’t sit there and mindlessly consume the message but not hear it. Incorporate the breath of God into your very essence. God will bring your spirit back to life. He will give you that promised land. God can bring you back from the dead. As we draw nearer to Easter, this becomes more important to remember.
God is this river of life where we can truly be satisfied. Our dry bones are hydrated by God’s spirit. Our weary flesh is made young and vibrant again as the Word renews better than botox and collagen ever could.
You also heard today from the Gospel of John about the raising of Lazarus. It is fitting that the Ezekiel passage, which speaks to the resurrection is paired with the resurrection of Lazarus, which also speaks to the resurrection. But to understand this, you need a little background on the Lazarus event. Jesus was friends with Lazarus. But, Jesus is teaching with his disciples when he hears the news that Lazarus is sick. Jesus has just escaped a stoning event in Jerusalem. He is about 20 miles away from Bethany, where Lazarus is, so it is about a day’s journey. You would think with such a friendship with Lazarus, Jesus would have left that day. He did not. No, he waited for two days. By the time Jesus gets to Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. Four days in the Middle Eastern heat. Even with the rush to bury the dead on the day of death, certainly, Lazarus would not have been a fresh-smelling body. Jesus goes to Lazarus’ family and Lazarus’ sisters are grieving. Others are grieving. And Jesus wept.
Not for long though. Shortly thereafter, Jesus calls out to Lazarus. His friend. Someone he cared greatly for. Lazaraus Come Out. And Lazarus does. Covered in grave linens, Lazarus exits his tomb, very much alive. Lazarus was his change of the fate. During Jesus' ministry, it was abundantly clear that the Pharisees and the scribes, and the priests had lost the message. Jesus was not their favorite. Follow the law was all the message the Pharisees could throw out to people. Blind following of Mosaic law. Not helping sick people on the Sabbath because it was against the law. Not eating or talking to certain people because they were unclean. Not handling the dead in any other way than prescribed by law. The resurrection of Lazarus was the final straw for them and they plot to kill Jesus. Talk about spiritual zombies.
I view Lazarus in some ways, as representing humans and their relationship to God in the early days. A close friendship. As I said earlier, Jesus had a close friendship with Lazarus, a human friendship. He was saddened by that loss; he cried. But he calls Lazarus back. Brings him back. Resurrects him. That is an awesome message. And Jesus weeps for us when we turn away or let things interfere with his reach toward us. But he calls us. He resurrects our connection to him. He brings us back to the faith and back to life.
Now you have God renewing our dry bones with the quenching spirit of life and Jesus calling us back to spiritual life. This is a wondrous thing. But this resurrection of faith and spirit is not a call to go back to the way it was. I watched a Nooma video this week with our Crazies. The message was about Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection. Mary, upon realizing that it is Jesus standing next to her, calls out “Rabbouini” - teacher and moves to hold him. Jesus’ first words then are “Don’t hold on to me.” Upon seeing her teacher back from the dead, she should be overjoyed, but Jesus wants her to go forth and tell the others, not to sit there and hold on to him. Take that message to heart with the renewal of faith, this end to spiritual undeadness – Don’t hold on to things past. Go forth. Renewed. Faithful. Spiritually alive.
Let us pray. Gracious and loving God, you call us each day to be your faithful. We stray. We stagnate. We sidestep. Renew us again with your living spirit, that we may be hydrated with the Word and be called by Jesus to come by his side. In your name we pray, AMEN.
--------------
This is one of those sermons. You know the one. The doom and gloom with the message of hope at the end. I know, it’s weird, the preacher telling you in advance what kind of sermon is coming. But it’s sometimes good to know what you are getting into. Every time I have the opportunity to preach to you, I find myself opening the door of my life a little wider to you all and to God. You have learned from past sermons that I am a Star Trek geek. You have learned my favorite bible passage is about jars of clay. You’ve learned that I think the Simpsons is the most religious show on network television. I have yet another confession to make. I really dig zombie movies. Dawn of the Dead, the original one, is probably one of my favorites. I am fascinated by the things that go bump in the night, but I am also fascinated at how deep a message zombie movies offer. Night of the Living Dead is a commentary on racism and racial unity. Dawn of the Dead is a commentary on consumerism and capitalism. Day of the Dead speaks to isolation of the human soul. 28 Days Later is a commentary on our own self-destructive behavior from playing God. Yep, zombie movies have a message.
One of the unique things about zombies, and I apologize for graphic imagery here, is that they usually must consume human flesh. There is never an explanation why, nor an understanding of the how. It just is. The zombies don't seem eat out of hunger, it is just an instinctual and ritualistic reaction. The food doesn't even appear necessary. It's just something to do. Now, as you sit in your pews, slightly uncomfortable as to how I might link zombies and a spiritual message, I have to lay out the plot of the zombie movie. Trust me, it will all come together in the end. First, there is a quiet, normalcy to the beginning of the zombie movie. Life is okay. Nothing strange is going on. Then, one or two odd occurrences pop up. People disappear, strange attacks happen. No one is quite certain what is going on. Then, the big reveal is that zombies are everywhere and they are multiplying. There is still no knowledge of how it happened. Was it a comet? A military experiment? A sign from God? No answers, and the zombies are getting closer to the heroes trapped in a building. Finally, one human takes a chance to change his or her fate and the zombies are vanquished (or so we think).
So where does the spiritual message come in? Well, there's a problem with our faith. Not just at St. Matthew. Not just in Wheaton. It's everywhere. We come to church every Sunday, well, most of us do. Some of us are still the kind of churchgoer I affectionately call a Chreaster - the Christmas and Easter churchgoer. Whatever the season or reason, we go to church because it is what you do on Sunday. We consume the message, as an instinctual and ritualistic reaction. But the message doesn't even appear necessary to us. It's just something to do. We find it hard to incorporate the Word into our lives. We find it hard even to incorporate the sermon into our lives. We go about our business, not quite spiritually dead, but certainly not spiritually alive. We are the spiritual undead. We are the spiritual zombies. Each one of us probably could pinpoint times in our lives when we clearly were spiritually alive, and the times when were spiritually dead. On the path to spiritual zombiehood, we are not quite sure how it happened. It just does. What we begin to realize with this spiritual zombieness is that we are everywhere. We just continue to get larger. We are the Sunday of the Living Dead. We grow apathetic in our faith because it is just there to be consumed every Sunday morning (or Saturday evening, in some churches, whose zombie groups have burst their seams). The Word doesn't nourish us, because it can't. We aren't letting it in. Our apathy and our selfishness in our faith and worship are infectious. In the movies, zombies spread through biting and blood. The spread of spiritual apathy comes much in the same way. We are biting at our fellow members for one reason or another. Blood, the blood of anger and self-focus, tends to flow in congregations from time to time. And that message does spread like an infection. The infected become one of the zombies. The insulated few hide out and wait for their moment to halt the spread of the undead. Or they turn to isolation and departure. This is not good either.
So there it is and now the question becomes "where is that one human who takes a chance to change the fate and vanquish the zombies?" Well, here's the best part, you need only look to today's readings. Talk about an awesome message from our gracious and loving God. In the Valley of Dry Bones, God asks, “Son of Man, can these bones live again?” And in response, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” And then God says that he will bring the bones together, attach flesh, cover them with skin, and breathe life into them. God takes long dead bones, which are just there, doing nothing. He breathes life into them. And they rise. But God says more on that. He calls the bones the whole House of Israel. He likens them to people who are hopeless and in despair. God promises to open up their graves and breathe life into them. He promises them home in Israel. God is calling out. I am here for you. I will breathe my spirit into you and you will live. I will make it better. I am the Lord and this has been prophesied to you.
Now there is something awesome about that. Imagine seeing a field of dead bones come back to life, to reform as humans. God’s Word is all it took. Now, imagine you are in that field today. The raising of the bones is a metaphor too, for God bring hope back into our lives. Don’t sit there and mindlessly consume the message but not hear it. Incorporate the breath of God into your very essence. God will bring your spirit back to life. He will give you that promised land. God can bring you back from the dead. As we draw nearer to Easter, this becomes more important to remember.
God is this river of life where we can truly be satisfied. Our dry bones are hydrated by God’s spirit. Our weary flesh is made young and vibrant again as the Word renews better than botox and collagen ever could.
You also heard today from the Gospel of John about the raising of Lazarus. It is fitting that the Ezekiel passage, which speaks to the resurrection is paired with the resurrection of Lazarus, which also speaks to the resurrection. But to understand this, you need a little background on the Lazarus event. Jesus was friends with Lazarus. But, Jesus is teaching with his disciples when he hears the news that Lazarus is sick. Jesus has just escaped a stoning event in Jerusalem. He is about 20 miles away from Bethany, where Lazarus is, so it is about a day’s journey. You would think with such a friendship with Lazarus, Jesus would have left that day. He did not. No, he waited for two days. By the time Jesus gets to Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. Four days in the Middle Eastern heat. Even with the rush to bury the dead on the day of death, certainly, Lazarus would not have been a fresh-smelling body. Jesus goes to Lazarus’ family and Lazarus’ sisters are grieving. Others are grieving. And Jesus wept.
Not for long though. Shortly thereafter, Jesus calls out to Lazarus. His friend. Someone he cared greatly for. Lazaraus Come Out. And Lazarus does. Covered in grave linens, Lazarus exits his tomb, very much alive. Lazarus was his change of the fate. During Jesus' ministry, it was abundantly clear that the Pharisees and the scribes, and the priests had lost the message. Jesus was not their favorite. Follow the law was all the message the Pharisees could throw out to people. Blind following of Mosaic law. Not helping sick people on the Sabbath because it was against the law. Not eating or talking to certain people because they were unclean. Not handling the dead in any other way than prescribed by law. The resurrection of Lazarus was the final straw for them and they plot to kill Jesus. Talk about spiritual zombies.
I view Lazarus in some ways, as representing humans and their relationship to God in the early days. A close friendship. As I said earlier, Jesus had a close friendship with Lazarus, a human friendship. He was saddened by that loss; he cried. But he calls Lazarus back. Brings him back. Resurrects him. That is an awesome message. And Jesus weeps for us when we turn away or let things interfere with his reach toward us. But he calls us. He resurrects our connection to him. He brings us back to the faith and back to life.
Now you have God renewing our dry bones with the quenching spirit of life and Jesus calling us back to spiritual life. This is a wondrous thing. But this resurrection of faith and spirit is not a call to go back to the way it was. I watched a Nooma video this week with our Crazies. The message was about Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection. Mary, upon realizing that it is Jesus standing next to her, calls out “Rabbouini” - teacher and moves to hold him. Jesus’ first words then are “Don’t hold on to me.” Upon seeing her teacher back from the dead, she should be overjoyed, but Jesus wants her to go forth and tell the others, not to sit there and hold on to him. Take that message to heart with the renewal of faith, this end to spiritual undeadness – Don’t hold on to things past. Go forth. Renewed. Faithful. Spiritually alive.
Let us pray. Gracious and loving God, you call us each day to be your faithful. We stray. We stagnate. We sidestep. Renew us again with your living spirit, that we may be hydrated with the Word and be called by Jesus to come by his side. In your name we pray, AMEN.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Blogging Advance, now with iron and DHA
I have made so much formula that I am beginning to see that stupid Similac (trademark property) teddy bear in my sleep. And did I mention that formula smells digusting, even before it is consumed (it tastes okay - yes, I tasted the food that I feed my daughter, so sue me). If I could have asked for unique parenting advice (not the colds, colic, and other factoids), I would have asked someone to let me know that formula smells bad.
Grace is testing out a few nights of sleeping at 5-6 hour stretches. This is her idea, not mine, but believe me I am not complaining (yet). I hope it is a routine, but I know it is a fluke.
Fatherhood is not like I expected (it's much better). Yeah, I don't sleep much and I wear pajamas all day, but Grace rocks. She's like my banjo playing, which is good since I am just learning and am rather bad at it. She likes this CD by a guy named Kirk Moore. If you have the chance, you should go to iTunes and download (legally) his songs (shameless plug, I know, but she really does dig the Cheese Song).
Enough with the pink. I like pink. It's a good color. But trust me, there are over 200 other colors in the world. Grace looks good in green and yellow and tan and blue. Red? Eh, it makes her spit up. Of course that could just be from the smell of formula. Drop by some time to visit us (if you know me).
Grace is testing out a few nights of sleeping at 5-6 hour stretches. This is her idea, not mine, but believe me I am not complaining (yet). I hope it is a routine, but I know it is a fluke.
Fatherhood is not like I expected (it's much better). Yeah, I don't sleep much and I wear pajamas all day, but Grace rocks. She's like my banjo playing, which is good since I am just learning and am rather bad at it. She likes this CD by a guy named Kirk Moore. If you have the chance, you should go to iTunes and download (legally) his songs (shameless plug, I know, but she really does dig the Cheese Song).
Enough with the pink. I like pink. It's a good color. But trust me, there are over 200 other colors in the world. Grace looks good in green and yellow and tan and blue. Red? Eh, it makes her spit up. Of course that could just be from the smell of formula. Drop by some time to visit us (if you know me).
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