It is Fall and the leaves are beginning to change. I remember from childhood science classes telling how that happens. The green of the leaves is there because of chlorophyll. When the chlorophyll is gone, the other colors in the leaves appear brighter. It is based on weather or rain or temperature. I really don’t know the answers, but that does not mean that I can’t enjoy the beautiful fall display. I like knowing the answers to things and am willing to study to find answers to things. Increasingly, however, I am aware that I often do not know the answers to some of the most profound issues of life. Even without all the answers I am committed to the joy of living.As my circle of knowledge increases so does the boundary of my ignorance.I can chaff under the burden of not knowing or rejoice in what I do know.I do not need all the answers to appreciate the beauty and grandeur that surrounds me often on a daily basis.I can kick through the scattered leaves, gaze on the bright crimson piles thatmaples sprinkle among the yellow and green.I can hear the crunch of the brown leaves already on the ground and say with a glad heart “O, God, What a beautiful world you have created!”
10/20/2019
Breakfast is often described as the most important meal of the day. It is extremely important for people with diabetes and other health conditions. While I do not really remember it, there is a family legend that while I was still in the high chair I was demanding “Mo” bacon, mo’eggs.” Later when my mother was working full time, breakfast was a more sketchy event. Usually it was cold cereal, milk, sugar, toast and on occasion a sliced banana. Sometimes in the years since childhood, breakfast was an after- thought with a cup of coffee snatched while going out the door. After my wife and I were diagnosed with diabetes we changed our breakfast habits. While I sometimes cook meals, it is my wife who makes sure we have a hot breakfast with toast and fruit and a protein source like eggs, cheese, sausage, bacon, etc. I think of this as an act of love in an everyday practical way. I am sure we are both heathier because of my wife’s loving action. I try to always say “thank you” for breakfast. Love ought to be measured more by the simple kind acts than by the huge romantic gestures. We admire the Christian martyrs but should never forget the simple Christians who live daily for Jesus.
10/13/2019
One of my favorite musicals is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats which I first saw in London many years ago. The musical was based on a book of poems by T.S. Elliot Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The most famous song from the Musical is Memory sung by Grizella, a former glamour cat, who has fallen on hard times. The song is nostalgic and poignant with the aging cat remembering former glories and wishing for current acceptance. The song’s lyrics and melody are haunting and sad. Memory can be like that at times, but it can also be warm and sustaining. In memory we can relieve the joys of the past and explore its significance for the present. Israel preserved the memory of the Exodus when God saved his people from their captivity.That memory became the center of their identity as a people.That memory had liberating force for the African-American community as well in the time of slavery.Jesus understood the power of memory when he instituted the Bread and Cup with the words “Do this in in remembrance of me.”We still remember Jesus, his teaching, his death, his resurrection when we share together the Bread and Cup.This living memory is still alive for us, still shaping our lives and our community. In that moment we remember the living savior who is still with us.It is a solemn and joyous moment.We remember Jesus and we again experience his presence in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup.
10/06/2019
During the Soviet era in Russia, the government limited access to candles. This seems rather strange until you realize how important candles are for worship in the Russian Orthodox Church. It was a not so subtle way of limiting the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. While candles do not hold so great an influence in our worship, I do enjoy them. A candle sits on my desk year round and I like to surround it with seasonal decorations. Christmas candles are a particular delight. I love seeing a candle in the windows of homes. I am helped by the Advent candles to focus my attention on the meaning of Christmas. My heart rejoices when we light the Christ candle to mark the birth of Jesus. It always stirs my emotions when we raise our candles in the Christmas Eve Service. The glow of candlelight softens the angels of everyone’s face and I think again, “everyone is beautiful in their own way.” The light of candles recalls Jesus as the light of the world, and Jesus’ followers as lights in the World. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can’t put it out. Every Sunday morning we light the candles on the communion table and acknowledge the presence of God that enlightens our lives. When the service has ended we go out to serve and all week long and light little candles to pierce the darkness, so that Jesus, the light of the world my shine.
09/29/2019
In contrast to many men, our two son-in-laws are rather easy to buy for at Christmas. For one, as long as Sports Illustrated (minus the exploitive swim suit edition.) Yes, it can be ordered that way is included, he is pleased. For the other a gift card to Penzey’s Spice and Herb store is always well received. Even if those two gifts were not included they would still be gracious. Since giving those gifts, I have started reading Sports Illustrated and Penzey’s has become one of my favorite stores. I can now shout at the TV “pass interference” and “he came to play” as if I knew what I was talking about. But the real discovery is how many spices and herbs there are and how they can change the taste of even the common foods we enjoy. Let’s face it, a boiled chicken breast may be healthy but it is as bland and tasteless as a bland boiled chicken breast. Add a few well selected herbs and spices and the dish is transformed. Whether it is Tex-Mex or Curry or Harissa or Sichuan Pepper or Thai Basil or the hundreds of other spices, herbs and blends, all have enriched our culinary world. Would it change our view of the world to view other cultures and countries as gifts rather than as enemies? We share the spices; could we also share the table?
09/22/2019
This week I ordered my new calendar workbook for 2020. It is titled Calendar and Workbook for Church Leaders. It is packed full of useful information including special dates, lectionary, and a four year calendar. More importantly for my work, there is a full page for Sunday with space for notes and recording information. On the opposite page there are six spaces for Monday through Friday. Other calendar workbooks often have a small divided space for Saturday and Sunday. This is the perfect minister’s tool. I searched for years for a calendar/workbook that worked for my job. The right tool can make such a difference. It is true in so many parts of life. I wonder if God looks down on the congregation and says, “What tools do I have for my work in this congregation?” I do know when we have people in the tasks in the church that fit their special spiritual and practical gifts everything works better. The right tool for the right task is a key for smooth work. When you need a faucet wrench, one hundred socket wrenches will not fill the need. Comparing church workers to plumbing tools doesn’t have quite the dignity that apostle, prophet, teacher, deacon, etc. do, but perhaps the point is the right person for the right task is the ideal. Until that ideal comes, we may need to stretch our gifts to meet the needs we find. We might even discover we have more gifts than we realized.
09/15/2019
When we were younger, my wife, Sue, liked to just take a different road to see where it might lead. This was before we had children or much formal responsibility. Now days we need to plan more carefully. Who will take care of our responsibilities if we are gone from our work? Are there rest stops on the road we are taking? Are there places to eat that meet our health needs? Who will be worried or inconvenienced if we are late? We both still like adventures, but they cannot be quite as spontaneous as they were in our younger years. Even in Sunday worship I am delighted when something happens that is a spontaneous blessing. However, blessings also come when there is good planning for worship. Spiritually sensitive planning can result in blessing. God can work with us in both spontaneous and structured ways. If the Spirit guides our plans, and we are willing to respond to the Spirit moving in our midst at any given time, then we have the best of both worlds. At its best, then every Sunday morning can be an adventure in worship. “O come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” O Lord, open our lives to the adventure in worship that you have for us this Sunday morning.
09/08/2019
Here is an old saying that maintains, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” It often seems to be the case. I am not talking about tabloid stories which are both strange and factious. Nature itself can provide us strange occurrences which were once the stock material for circus side shows. At an earlier time people would be willing to part with a dime to see a two-headed calf or a bearded lady. Along with the fakes there were real occurrences. I find it irritating when a story writer backs themselves into a corner and escape the literary trap by bringing a miracle in at the last minute, but I admit it sometimes happens that way in real life. While we have a handle on many important things, there is still a lot of mystery in life. There is much we still cannot understand. While I will always strive to figure out the mysteries of our lives, I am content to live and work in the midst of mystery. I love having answers to some questions, but I am content with the realization that there is much I do not understand. How dull life must be for those who have all the answers. I like the tingle of the unexpected, the shiver of the new adventure, the thrill of future possibilities, the new that still awaits us. After my last breath of life, I want my first breath of new life to be “Okay, What’s next?”
09/01/2019
Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral regularly used a musical invocation which read “Lord, make my life a window for your light to shine through, and a mirror reflecting your great love to all I meet.” While the influence of his Hour of Power broadcast and the Crystal Cathedral faded after his retirement, the image of the Christian life as a window for the light of God to shine through or a mirror to reflect God’s great love to those around us, is still a brilliant image. It is always a Christian challenge to be transparent so that God may be seen rather than making ourselves an idol to be admired. We will always be seen as reflecting the understanding of God, but we want that reflection to be a clear image of God’s abundant love. The cleansing power of God’s love can bring clarity to our windows or mirror so that nothing will obscure the presence of the divinity within. At least that is our hope. We want Jesus, the true image of God to be seen clearly in us. Perhaps, we could paraphrase the old hymn “Take my life and let it be, clear, transparent Lord for Thee.”
08/25/2019
Recently, I answered a 765 area call from Angela who indicated that she was calling about my car insurance payment. I recognized that this was code for an insurance sales call. To her credit the sales person politely ended the call when I indicated that I was not interested in making changes to my car insurance. The initial statement could have been understood as “there is a problem with your car insurance payment.” While technically not a false statement it was potentially deceptive. I really do believe in truth in advertising. I do not like to feel I have been manipulated, and I worry about others who could be victimized by such manipulation. Christians also need to be careful to be transparent. While it is wonderfully true that the Christian experience is full of blessing, joy and fulfillment, it also can be difficult and inconvenient. It often involves sacrifice and at time has even involved martyrdom. A faith which involves a cross and resurrection is unlikely to involve “flowery beds of ease.” Christian “truth in advertising” should make all of that clear. Real choice begins when we see what our choice involves. When we choose to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord, we have not chosen an easy road, but it is the best of all journeys. It is the Jesus road. It may lead through dark valleys and even through a cross, but there will be blessings on the way and resurrection at the end of the journey.
08/18/2019
I did not realize that there were many kinds of salt. I knew of table salt and kosher salt, but very little more than that. There is sea salt and a variety of gourmet salts in this category including several kinds of gray salt like Fleu de sel, selgris and Celtic sea salt. There is kala namak (black salt) and Hawaiian black salt. There are red salts like Himalayan salt. There are flake salts including maldon salt from England. There is Dead Sea Salt and salt from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. There is curing salt and pickling salt and even smoked salt. All of them are Sodium Chloride with other minerals that add color and some small taste variations. But if the salt has lost its flavor it is useless as a seasoning. Throwing it out on the road to melt the ice or hold down the dust is its only continuing value. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. If we can be as useful as salt we will surely bless the people around us. We could easily draw analogies from salt to our purposes in God’s world. The different kinds, colors, and origins of salt gave me a new picture of Christian diversity. We are all essentially the same but our differences add color, flavor, and texture to all the places where we Christians find ourselves as long as we retain that essential Christian saltiness.
08/11/2019
I am convinced that we need worship. I believe that deep within our human nature there is that which reaches out to interact with the one who created us. We were designed to give praise to God and there is an emptiness when we do not have opportunity to offer God our praise. We were designed to live quietly in the presence of the divine. We were meant to be still and know the eternal God. We were made to bring our needs and even our griefs to the divine parent of us all that we might receive comfort. We were crafted for compassion, to give and receive love in relationship to the one whose very essence is love. Our sight was meant to see beyond the limits of earthly vision and catch a glimpse of eternal things that we might know the God of hope. All this and more are a part of our worship. It is remarkable when worship surprises us in moments of beauty and insight when we are alone, and it is amazing when true worship happens when we are together. In the deepest part of our authentic selves we need God. It is not about attendance patterns or paying the church bills. It is ultimately about who we are. We were designed for relationship with God and that, at heart, is why we must worship.
08/04/2019
Psalm 127:2 contains a bit of wisdom for those of us who are, at times, anxious. “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.” (NSRV) An alternative translation in the footnote says “he provides for his beloved during sleep.” In either case it is a call to let go of our anxiety and rest in the providential care of God. While a sleepless night may be as Ebeneezer Scrouge says “a bit of undigested potato;” it may also be the result of our own anxiety. We may be kept awake by our worry about our families, or about our health. We may worry about world conditions, fearing war or international disaster. We may fret about money or the lack of it. We may wish that the future would be more secure or more predictable. Many of the worries that plague us are beyond our power to affect. Two o’clock in the morning is never a good time to ponder difficult questions. If we could but remember that God loves and can give us the confidence to relax and rest even in the midst of our fears. “Fear not, I am with you!” speaks firmly to our anxiety. Let’s take some deep breaths and relax in the loving arms of God, and let him give us rest.
07/28/2019
I learned a while back that there are people who have a career as hand models. For commercials in print and on TV they are paid for their beautiful hands demonstrating lotions, mild dish soap and other products. I don’t know if there are foot models, but I suppose there might be. The prophet-poet Isaiah says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good tidings who publish peace…” While this might initially sound like a comment about attractive heels and toes, it is more a matter of Hebrew language using concrete words to express more abstract meanings. In the midst of conflict the arrival of a messenger proclaiming that the war is over is a beautiful moment in the life of a war torn people. Would it not be a wonderful, beautiful moment if we could hear “the conflict is over, we can be at peace?” It is good news in any war. It would be beyond words if we could say “All wars have come to an end now and forever.” Wouldn’t it be beautiful if we could say that humanity has found a better way to resolve disagreements than resorting to violence? We teach little children to use their words not their fists. It will mark a new stage in human maturity when we can use words rather than weapons to resolve our differences. The arrival of that moment would indeed be beautiful.
07/21/2019
This past week marked fifty years since the moon launch which says Astronaut Armstrong actually walked on the surface of the moon, a first for humankind. It was a heady moment for a boy who had grown up dreaming about space exploration and reading both science and science fiction about space travel. The moon launch was the product of thousands of hours of preparation with attention to myriad details from the stitches on the space suits to the largest rocket engines. All of this began major further work on exploration of the solar system and beyond. It produced the International Space Station and new kinds of space vehicles. Few of these had the emotional appeal of the moon walk, but the effect on society and especially on technology has been huge. Much that we now take for granted as part of our everyday technology grew out of the preparations that backed the moon launch. That we can now have computer power in a watch that fifty years ago filled whole rooms has made us rather unconscious of the amount of change in the technology around us. All this is amazing and often wonderful. Unfortunately, there has been less progress in settling conflicts without violence, in combating prejudice, in defeating poverty, in waging peace. Perhaps building a better technology is easier than building a better world, but the success of the one might inspire us to go for the moon in the other as well.
07/14/2019
It is always interesting to me to notice how language changes. Often waiting in Doctor’s offices I look at the recipes in the old magazines. Earlier America recipes were called receipts, a term that dictionaries define as an archaic usage. Some of those old receipts could be rather vague with expressions like “cook until done”, or “add as needed.” Modern recipes often include very detailed information like, “Select a 10 inch nonstick pan with an oven safe handle.” Cooking times and temperatures are very precise. Instructions are detailed and descriptive in ways that earlier receipts would have thought to be common knowledge. A country gentleman was visiting a restaurant for the first time. He was puzzled when his waiter asked if he wanted gravy with his meat and potatoes. As he put it, “They had something they called gravy. It looked like sop and tasted like sop and I think it was sop.” Whether we call it a recipe or a receipt, a gravy or sop, it really doesn’t matter as long as the food tastes good. I wonder if too often the changes in our language and perception obscure things for us. The reality of something is usually more important than the terminology we use, but the change in expression may interfere with our appreciation of the situation on the plate before us.
07/07/2019
When I was young there was just coffee. There were some different brands, but the coffee was all the same. It was a mild American roast. It could be made stronger or weaker but those were the only options that my family knew of. Decaffeinated was a new revolution for heart problems and sleep issues, but that was all we knew about. Now we can get flavored coffees: Hazelnut, French Vanilla, etc. We can have dark French Roast or Italian Roast. We can choose the country of origin: Kenya or Columbia, or Jamaica. Coffee shops like Starbucks and Seattle’s Best list multiple choices as do independent coffee shops. There is confusion for the beginner to even understand the choices. Imagine a coffee novice walking into a Starbucks. “Can I help you,” says the barista (the what?). I just want a cup of coffee,” says the customer. “What kind?” says the barista? “Just a regular cup of coffee,” he says. “Oh, you want an Americano” says the cheery barista. “Is that a regular cup of coffee?” he asks. “Yes, it is,” she replied. “Do you want a Grande?” “just give me the little one.” “Do you want that in a paper cup or a ceramic mug?” she asks. “I just want a plain old regular cup of coffee.” He moans.Sometimes in the midst of all the glitzy choices we just want the simple regular stuff that gives us the feeling of comfort.
06/30/2019
In my library there are maps of the United States and of the rest of the world. They are bound in a leather book. The colors are vivid, the bindings are first class, the paper is fine, yet durable. It is a beautiful volume. Its only drawback is that it measures 41/2 inches, by 3 inches by ½ inch. Major rivers, cities and boundaries and roads are there, but detail is very limited. It is of no help in figuring out how to get from here to there except in the most general way. For big goals it is useful but for the small steps in between it leaves much to be desired. Using these maps could leave one saying, “I know I’m in Indiana but where am I?” Often life leaves us with similar quandaries. A high school student a day after graduation might say “I know where I want to go, but how do I get there?” or even” I don’t even know where I want to go.” We may know that we want to live as a Christian should, but what does that mean in specific situations? The Bible gives us good general guidelines and at times is very specific, but at other times God wants us to figure things out for ourselves. That can mean that we may take a wrong turn at times, but we can trust that God’s loving kindness will call us back to the right path. We could wish for everything to be made crystal clear but then we might never learn to make wise decisions on our own. We can depend on God for guidance, but we still have to learn to decide wisely ourselves.
06/23/2019
I am deeply appreciative for those who do the dirty and difficult jobs. Some years ago New York City discovered what a disaster resulted in when the garbage workers went on strike. Garbage collection may seem a lowly job to some, but we really need their work. As a teenager I did stoop labor in the fields and knew a tiny bit of the pain of the farm workers. Much of our fruit and vegetables would not be available without them. One round of changing the muffler on a car made me appreciate the work of mechanics and others with grease under their fingernails. Firefighters, and policepersons, janitors and sanitation workers, orderlies and nursing home attendants all do some of the hard jobs in our world. I can not even fully grasp the number of people and jobs it takes to make a society operate. No matter how difficult or dirty the work, it is part of what makes life good for the rest of us. All such labor is worthy. Much of this work is unseen except in extraordinary circumstances. It is, it seems to me, appropriate that we feel gratitude to all those who do the hard jobs. Like icebergs, we often only see the top surface but underneath there is a vast system which makes the surface possible. Thanks you all, you unsung workers, without whom our society would flounder. Thanks for all the help. We appreciate it.
06/16/2019
“Summertime, and the living is easy. Fish are jumping and the cotton is high. Your daddy’s rich and your mamma’s good-looking so hush little baby don’t you cry”, begins one of the great jazz classics. Our extended family was having High Tea at the Canterbury Hotel in Indianapolis for a special celebration. We were the only ones that afternoon in the tea room as a jazz pianist was playing. He was quite accomplished and we were admiring his skill and he asked us if we had any requests. There are many musicians in the family, some with real interests in jazz. The requests were for songs like Brubeck’s “Take Five” and other classics like “Rhapsody in Blue”. We gave him quite a work out. Perhaps trying to for an easier song he asked Christy, then still a youngster, if she had a request. When she requested “Summertime” his expression was a bit shocked and he said, “Who are you people?” How often we might be shocked to learn just who the people are who are listening to us. One time Abraham was sitting in the doorway of his tent when some men approached him. He invited them to share his hospitality. As he talked with them he realized that they were more than what he had first expected. As a later scripture put it, “some have entertained angels unaware.” When we speak who know who might be listening.