I cannot help but reflect on the past weekend as I sit down to write this letter. I know one of the unique realities to ministry is that I as a pastor see a very different side of the church than the average member; it is something that goes with the multifunctional nature of being a pastor. Saying that, it is important to share a couple things about this past weekend that I thought to be unique.
In the spring, a group of members asked if we could move the coffee hour out to the front of the church. There were various reasons, some thought it to be a nice change, others thought it would give better visibility, and the logic goes on. What struck me this past Sunday, as has happened through the summer, is the way that we welcome everyone to the table. This Sunday there were two men in particular that I am thinking about. One had just moved to the area and was hungry; the other seemed to just need something rolling up on his bicycle. While many would not shun them away, not only did we give them food, but I watched as members actively approached them as we do everyone that comes to visit. On my drive home, I reflected on that and thought to myself about the witness that we are having every Sunday in front of our church in showing welcome. This witness followed two experiences that I had over the weekend. On Saturday we hosted the funeral and reception for Felicia. For those who came, you knew this was not the typical funeral. While there were moments that were sad and difficult, the custom was for it to be a celebration. In the service we combined the traditional Cameroonian traditions with the American Presbyterian ones to make a very meaningful service and one that honored Felicia’s life. The thing that stuck out the most is probably the thing that many would not even notice, the gratitude of the gathered community for our hospitality and care. This made a big difference in the way they were able to connect and move on in this most difficult of situations. It was similar in a way to the wedding service I performed Friday night for a Christian man and Hindu woman. Nobody else from the church was there; both were not members of the congregation. Yet, it was interesting, though, how and why they picked me. Though I had not known the families before, I had a lot of similarities to the groom’s background, and our church had the multi-cultural background that told them it would be ok to ask me. It was funny, having done multi-faith weddings before, this couple wanted a unabashedly Christian (Presbyterian) service. I think I was more worried at times of being too Christian than the couple. Though afterwards I was amazed at how many people came up to say what a beautiful service it was and to thank me. But when the father of the groom began to speak about how his son was baptized and confirmed in the Presbyterian Church and how important that foundation was, I was again humbled. In all three events, the Christian understanding of hospitality was evident. Some might ask what is the most important ministry we have, and over and over I see how we are a model for Christ’s love through the way we welcome others and respect others and their traditions. Through this we are able to witness to our neighbors Christ’s love.
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I have not commented on the shooting of Michael Brown for many reasons. First of all, because I think a lot of people use these tragedies and the following unrest in exploitative ways, seeking agendas and so on. I also think that because I am not part of that community and I do not know the people involved I cannot add anything of value into that particular situation. Though, I do have my opinions, which mirror many in the church. I think that the whole thing was handled horribly, and I think that there is a serious underlying justice issue that we are overlooking, but I think it is more than about race or even Michael Brown. I think there is a systemic societal problem that stems from our loss of love for one another.
There might have been a time where America was seen to be utopia. When I started out in ministry, the image from many I served was that time fell somewhere between 1948 and 1962. For a certain class of people, and living in a certain area, this might have been true, but memories are often clouded. Having turned 40 last week, I found myself thinking fondly back to the 80’s and my childhood. Funny how I had forgotten how towards the end of the decade my dad was coming home worried that he would be part of the next round of layoffs and the stress and frustration that brought to the family. We forget that like today, the economy was all over the place. Also, with the increased capabilities of computers, many jobs were phased out and many were let go. Like many of my friend’s parents, my Dad, while worried about his own job, as the manager of his department, was often the one who had to let others go. Trying to break away throughout our history people have attempted Utopian Societies. In almost every case, when groups have attempted to create utopian communities they, too, have failed. And we ask why? The answer is simple, as humans we have the inclination to always put our personal needs and safety before others. Go back and listen to some of the political speeches from the early 90’s when things like universal sentencing and 3 strikes and zero tolerance laws were enacted. These had nothing to do with justice, and everything to do with making one segment of the population feel comfortable and safe. A healthy society cannot be built on laws. The founding fathers knew that laws could only be an aid, but it is the principles that you believe in that have to be the guide. Hence, why the Constitution is a document that is based on principles and the Bill of Rights is primarily protections of individuals’ civil liberties. The problem 225 years later, is because of fear, greed, and power we have abandoned our principles and accepted laws that protect some and expose others. The problems with principles are that they can be forgotten. Some would say this is what happened with the Pentateuch. By the time Jesus came, the society lost the knowledge of the principles that guided the laws and merely followed the laws without a sense of compassion or understanding. So Jesus comes to correct that. His witness through his actions consistently shows love (even when he gets angry). Christ states: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill (Mt 5:17).” His fulfillment was to show a better way “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” You see, at the end of the day we have to recognize that the problem with the Michael Brown situation and all the situations like his has to do with a fundamental lack of understanding about justice. When justice is about “protection” it takes sides. It allows for one group to have power over another. When justice is about vengeance, we often find ourselves taking the place of God, making God-like decisions over others’ lives. But when we follow justice following the principle of love that Christ teaches, we find that we are living into a community that is mutually caring, connected, and growing together. We find that we are lifting up each other, not forcing them down, and we mutually grow. It is interesting come Christmas time, when the pundits cry about the war on Christmas, or even Christianity itself. I remember a few years back when a very eloquent pastor sat on a talk show spewing “facts” about how Christians and their values were being persecuted in this country.
On one level, I always feel a bit sad for the people that feel that way, but on another, very real level, I always get annoyed because while some laws and societal norms might make it more difficult to do ministry, in no way are we persecuted for our beliefs. In fact, some would say that there has never been a time when it has been easier to be a Christian, yet even as there is such an ease, church attendance across all denominations, traditions, and movements is on the decline. While people are not persecuted for faith, it is true that the power and influence of faith and religion is declining, quickly. Take television for example. In the sixties and seventies it would not be uncommon to know the denomination of the characters in your favorite shows. In one of my favorite shows, M*A*S*H, every season had at least two to three episodes that dealt with faith. I even knew the denominational backgrounds of the characters (even if they did change them periodically Colonel Potter was a Presbyterian, then a Methodist, and Winchester a Presbyterian, a little fun trivia aside!). Aside from some British shows, we do not see the church depicted, positively or negatively, in much of television over the past 5 years; the church has been non-existent. In the once powerful Presbyterian Church, many in leadership lament this loss of power. But there are some of us that see a new opportunity that can come when the church is no longer seeking overt influence, and can reestablish itself as a faith-driven community. As we explore faith, again we do so with a question looming on faith and power. The section of this pericope that we are looking at is the final build up to the ultimate example of faith in Jesus Christ. This is an interesting section because the faith that is described is an active faith and one that is written with pain and reward. The writer lists “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets” all of whom had to take a very pro-active role in speaking for faith. They did this through war, but always with a balance of justice. More importantly, this group used everything they could to follow in the path God laid, and though none of them resembled perfection, all of them perused their faith without question. Some scholars point to the fact that the church has become complacent in their power and in that complacency has lost relevance. I think the issues are much deeper and are grounded in how we express faith and, more importantly, how we stand for justice. My theory is that American Christianity became complacent over the past 30 years. I know you might think in your minds the militant preachers and mega-church movements, but think again about what those churches tend to stand for and what they actually do. Often they focus on personal salvation (Watch this clip from Joel Osteen’s wifehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koIBkYl0cHk) giving individual ways to live better lives, but often, just like the mainline churches, fail to challenge the world around them or are guided by other motivations than faith. It is interesting how we allow our self interest impede our faith and dilute our message with hopes of power and prestige. One thing as you begin to prepare for Sunday that I implore you to think about is why David is so important and Saul and Solomon are never on the same level as David. Think about what went wrong with Saul and Solomon’s reigns. How does that feed into what I discussed above? |
AuthorRev. Dr. Bryan James Franzen Archives
September 2018
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