Dear People of Christ Church,
This afternoon, paging through Facebook as I ate my lunch at my desk, I was struck by a headline on the New Yorker Magazine page: "In the wake of Qaddafi's death, what questions should we be asking? News came through this morning that deposed Libyan ruler Muammar Qadaffi had allegedly been killed, or captured, or shot in both legs (or all three). One rumor said that he was holding a golden pistol.
I am not proud of this, but I admit when I saw the headline my first reaction was a visceral exhaustion of more questions. Having An Important Conversation. Avoiding a Rush to Judgment. I am not a quick fix fast conclusion kind of person. I accept (even embrace!) shades of grey, faith in the midst of uncertainty, etc. But come on. Can we just be glad that a bad guy isn't in power anymore?
Ummm... no. That's not the kind of people Jesus calls us to be. As with Osama bin Laden, the church is not in the business of celebrating the taking of anyone's life. We have to ask the questions. We have to reflect on the answers we are given. Answers given by religious leaders, answers given by politicians, even those quick answers we give ourselves to get through the day.
At the same time, even though it can be exhausting, as Christians we have some resources to rely on. Lest the above text make it sound like being a good Christian is essentially good citizenship, it's the way we ask the questions and the way we hear the answers where our faith comes in. We ask our political questions in light of the resurrection; that final victory of life over death that happened then, happens now, and continues into the future. Much as we experience time in a linear fashion, God's life is not in the mere sequence of duration. We are raised in Christ already, even as our lives seem so ordinary, even as we pretend we have no need of it.
Our own desire and prayers for peace have moral weight and shape. I think, also our questions can be prayers-that there is some duty to ask them feels connected to God's will for us. A prayer, too, can have more room in it than a question-a prayer can accommodate our confusion as well as our anger, the desired outcomes we seek as well as lament and celebration. Sometimes all of them at once. In prayer, we don't have to have it figured out. But we do have to be aware of what's going on in the world and "show up" for it.
My revision: "In the light of [Qadaffi's death/Occupy Boston/Gilad Shalit/Whatever] what prayers we should be saying?" Our country is implicated in Libya's civil war, our own bombs have contributed to the current situation. Prayers for worldwide peace, for Israel and Gilad Shalit as well as the 1000 Palestinian prisoners freed as well. For Qadaffi and those he wounded. Come over to the Christ Church page to continue the conversation.
Blessings,
Sara+
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Dear People of Christ Church,
This week, I've been marinating on what, exactly, is going on across the country with the "Occupy" movement. It started with "Occupy Wall Street" and has now spread all over-Alabama to Washington state. And, of course, Boston. My family went down on Monday night but were advised a few minutes into our visit that the police planned to come at nightfall (it was around 6:30 when we got there) and that it wouldn't be the best place for kids. There has been a decent response from the faith community; a group called the Protest Chaplains is blogging and visiting, and there is a sacred space tent. Bishop Shaw went yesterday for an ecumenical service of support. A UU minister who lives in my neighborhood lead vespers last Sunday night.
As a softie bleeding heart, I'm inclined to be sympathetic; after our wedding in 2003 (in New York), my husband and I cut the reception short so everyone could go downtown to the anti Iraq war protest. I love a good protest. The difficult thing about what's going on now is that the method has little do to with the problem. The financial crisis was not caused by local branches of Bank of America. It was a result of a financial system that relied more and more on abstract amounts of abstract money moving from spread sheet to spread sheet and a government that stopped regulating much of anything assuming the market would fix it all. It didn't, and here we are. Still, you could just as well occupy "the internet" as Dewey Square; there's no "there" there.
The problem is meeting an abstract problem with a concrete complaint; there is truly no way that the message can be transmitted in a "rational" way, because it is not a "rational" problem. Corporate incomes have no relationship to the production of real goods and services. CEO pay increases into the tens of millions as regular workers are laid off. The United States is closest to Russia and Iran when it comes to income inequality. The "Occupy" movement is using the most basic means of communication possible: putting a (tent) stake in the ground, putting their bodies where they will be seen.
What does this have to do with the kingdom of God?
Something about how we are in the world but not of it, how we put others' needs ahead of our own, how "the least of these" are to be cared for first, the shepherd going after the one lost sheep. That there is enough -there really is. It's not tea party vs occupiers, it's not even 1 percent vs 99 percent. It's all of us. Jesus went to the cross for everyone, not just the morally pure, not just the vegetarians, not just the poor. He didn't go just for the successful, intelligent, and brave, either. That means that each of us has a responsibility to the others. We are all just as much in need of that grace. We are all in just as much need for food and shelter and love and forgiveness.
This does not mean everyone has to go out and quit their jobs and become organic farmers who make their own clothes. I want there to be a bank and a banker when I need a mortgage. I want a small business to be able to open because someone invested their money in it. I want all of us to have well-paying jobs so we can finish our capital campaign with handicap accessible bathrooms! But I also want us to be critical enough to ask how, and why, our economy works the way it does, and to do what we can to make it a just one.
Is this not the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. (Isaiah 58: 6-8)
Thanks be to God!
Sara+
This week, I've been marinating on what, exactly, is going on across the country with the "Occupy" movement. It started with "Occupy Wall Street" and has now spread all over-Alabama to Washington state. And, of course, Boston. My family went down on Monday night but were advised a few minutes into our visit that the police planned to come at nightfall (it was around 6:30 when we got there) and that it wouldn't be the best place for kids. There has been a decent response from the faith community; a group called the Protest Chaplains is blogging and visiting, and there is a sacred space tent. Bishop Shaw went yesterday for an ecumenical service of support. A UU minister who lives in my neighborhood lead vespers last Sunday night.
As a softie bleeding heart, I'm inclined to be sympathetic; after our wedding in 2003 (in New York), my husband and I cut the reception short so everyone could go downtown to the anti Iraq war protest. I love a good protest. The difficult thing about what's going on now is that the method has little do to with the problem. The financial crisis was not caused by local branches of Bank of America. It was a result of a financial system that relied more and more on abstract amounts of abstract money moving from spread sheet to spread sheet and a government that stopped regulating much of anything assuming the market would fix it all. It didn't, and here we are. Still, you could just as well occupy "the internet" as Dewey Square; there's no "there" there.
The problem is meeting an abstract problem with a concrete complaint; there is truly no way that the message can be transmitted in a "rational" way, because it is not a "rational" problem. Corporate incomes have no relationship to the production of real goods and services. CEO pay increases into the tens of millions as regular workers are laid off. The United States is closest to Russia and Iran when it comes to income inequality. The "Occupy" movement is using the most basic means of communication possible: putting a (tent) stake in the ground, putting their bodies where they will be seen.
What does this have to do with the kingdom of God?
Something about how we are in the world but not of it, how we put others' needs ahead of our own, how "the least of these" are to be cared for first, the shepherd going after the one lost sheep. That there is enough -there really is. It's not tea party vs occupiers, it's not even 1 percent vs 99 percent. It's all of us. Jesus went to the cross for everyone, not just the morally pure, not just the vegetarians, not just the poor. He didn't go just for the successful, intelligent, and brave, either. That means that each of us has a responsibility to the others. We are all just as much in need of that grace. We are all in just as much need for food and shelter and love and forgiveness.
This does not mean everyone has to go out and quit their jobs and become organic farmers who make their own clothes. I want there to be a bank and a banker when I need a mortgage. I want a small business to be able to open because someone invested their money in it. I want all of us to have well-paying jobs so we can finish our capital campaign with handicap accessible bathrooms! But I also want us to be critical enough to ask how, and why, our economy works the way it does, and to do what we can to make it a just one.
Is this not the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. (Isaiah 58: 6-8)
Thanks be to God!
Sara+
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Dear People of Christ Church,
On Sunday, we shared the news of our parish capital campaign, which has so far had wonderful success with the wise leadership of our co-chairs, Mike Balulescu and Cathy Hughes. Since late August, we've been meeting with folks in the very early stages of the campaign, and on Sunday we reported that of our goal of $260,000, we have so far received pledges for over 200,000! We are already so wonderfully close to our goal, but we will only reach it (and go beyond) with everyone's participation.
Giving to a capital campaign is kind of a funny thing. Year after year, I look at our budget and lament at how much of our expenses go to our building. The building. The deferred maintenance. The drafty windows. The bunching carpet. The building just doesn't seem very exciting. Heat, electricity, snow plowing-they don't exactly add up to a rousing story of changed lives. It's the people inside the building-and the people who will come-who are the story of the Holy Spirit moving in this place, not the bricks and mortar. And let me tell you about mortar--I've been learning a lot about it lately.
At the same time, when I think about the capital campaign and all the things we're talking about doing with the building, I actually get a little excited. What if the narthex (a fancy church word for vestibule) were as welcoming and bright as the people who stand there and serve as greeters each Sunday? What if you weren't embarrassed to tell someone where the bathroom is, knowing they're just going to see that peeling plaster or, worse, not be able to go inside at all because they use a wheelchair? This stuff actually matters. Contributing to the green grants programs, the intern program, B Safe, and so many other great ministries across Eastern Massachusetts, our impact along with the diocesan campaign is significant.
Our campaign pledges will be over five years; no one is asking you to break the bank and write a check today for the full pledge amount. As a pastor, it has been an incredible blessing for me to witness to the gifts that are given. In each of these conversations we've had, everyone is doing the best they can; your gift is your gift. It's just that-a gift. And we are thankful for every single gift, no matter the size. From $5,000 to $50,000-your faith and love have been remarkable. The gift of $5.00 can be remarkable. These is not an everyday event, and these are not everyday gifts. There's a reason this hasn't been done since 1953.
And, so, here we are. Given that there are a lot of details to what we're doing and how, you'll get a call in the next few weeks from one of our visiting team, who will ask to talk personally with you about the campaign. I'm going to close with what Mike said on Sunday, whose intro to the campaign you can read here (it's really worth a read, if you weren't in church-it blew my sermon right out of the water!).
So when someone asks you if you would like to talk more about this campaign, I hope you'll say "yes." If someone asks you if you would like to assist with the campaign, I hope you'll say "yes." And when your heart implores you to dream about what we can accomplish together, in one breath, in one collective, shared sacrifice, I hope your response will be "yes." Thank you.
Blessings,
Sara+
On Sunday, we shared the news of our parish capital campaign, which has so far had wonderful success with the wise leadership of our co-chairs, Mike Balulescu and Cathy Hughes. Since late August, we've been meeting with folks in the very early stages of the campaign, and on Sunday we reported that of our goal of $260,000, we have so far received pledges for over 200,000! We are already so wonderfully close to our goal, but we will only reach it (and go beyond) with everyone's participation.
Giving to a capital campaign is kind of a funny thing. Year after year, I look at our budget and lament at how much of our expenses go to our building. The building. The deferred maintenance. The drafty windows. The bunching carpet. The building just doesn't seem very exciting. Heat, electricity, snow plowing-they don't exactly add up to a rousing story of changed lives. It's the people inside the building-and the people who will come-who are the story of the Holy Spirit moving in this place, not the bricks and mortar. And let me tell you about mortar--I've been learning a lot about it lately.
At the same time, when I think about the capital campaign and all the things we're talking about doing with the building, I actually get a little excited. What if the narthex (a fancy church word for vestibule) were as welcoming and bright as the people who stand there and serve as greeters each Sunday? What if you weren't embarrassed to tell someone where the bathroom is, knowing they're just going to see that peeling plaster or, worse, not be able to go inside at all because they use a wheelchair? This stuff actually matters. Contributing to the green grants programs, the intern program, B Safe, and so many other great ministries across Eastern Massachusetts, our impact along with the diocesan campaign is significant.
Our campaign pledges will be over five years; no one is asking you to break the bank and write a check today for the full pledge amount. As a pastor, it has been an incredible blessing for me to witness to the gifts that are given. In each of these conversations we've had, everyone is doing the best they can; your gift is your gift. It's just that-a gift. And we are thankful for every single gift, no matter the size. From $5,000 to $50,000-your faith and love have been remarkable. The gift of $5.00 can be remarkable. These is not an everyday event, and these are not everyday gifts. There's a reason this hasn't been done since 1953.
And, so, here we are. Given that there are a lot of details to what we're doing and how, you'll get a call in the next few weeks from one of our visiting team, who will ask to talk personally with you about the campaign. I'm going to close with what Mike said on Sunday, whose intro to the campaign you can read here (it's really worth a read, if you weren't in church-it blew my sermon right out of the water!).
So when someone asks you if you would like to talk more about this campaign, I hope you'll say "yes." If someone asks you if you would like to assist with the campaign, I hope you'll say "yes." And when your heart implores you to dream about what we can accomplish together, in one breath, in one collective, shared sacrifice, I hope your response will be "yes." Thank you.
Blessings,
Sara+
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