02/02/2020

Aldi is among the grocery stores that I patronize.  They have a fairly good sized Gluten Free section and many of their products are also marked gluten free on the packaging.  The prices also seem to be better than many other stores.  The first time I shopped there introduced me to a different culture.  All the shoppers I encountered seemed to know the procedures: renting a grocery cart for a quarter and then getting it back when the cart is returned, and transactions are cash or card.  You bag your own groceries and bring or buy your shopping bags.  If you are lucky you might find a box.  As you take your cart back, someone may hand you a quarter and take your cart.  It was a bit confusing and experienced Aldi’s shoppers give you a look that said silently, “you must be a newbie.”  I wonder if the same kind of thing might happen to people who come to church.  If they are unfamiliar with our routine procedures, do they feel awkward and out of place?  What can we do to make people feel at ease and welcome?  We do that better than many congregations, but I still hope we can do it even better.  We want our welcome to be whole hearted for all who might wish to enter in.

01/26/2020

Recently while we were visiting in Colorado, my daughter, my grandson and I attended a performance of the Shakespeare Inprov. Company.  My Son-in-law, granddaughter and my wife went to the American Girl doll store, while we watched the improvisation group “do Shakespeare.”  The group improvisation group invites the audience to suggest a title and then improvises a Shakespeare style play on the spot.  The cast does the dialogue in rhyme for the nobility and ordinary prose for the servants.  Like Shakespeare’s plays the jokes are broad and at times a bit suggestive.  It is amazing how adept the players are and even their missteps are funny.  I have seen Ken Medema do this  same sort of thing .  He asks the audience for a song title which he then uses to compose a song.  The results are always wholesome and challenging, often with humorous elements as well.  Medema and Ted Swartz, a Christian comedian, are now touring Church of the Brethren districts with a music and comedy program.  The result is both entertaining and challenging for Christians.  Saturday, March 14 they will be at the Manchester Church of the Brethren.  It would be fun and rewarding for a group of us to go to the program.  There will be an offering to go to Heifer International.  This is part of the District wide celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the South/Central District and our project of two arks ($5000 each) for the Heifer Project.  I look forward to a fun evening

01/19/2020

I have a friend who for many years,  every January, read a new book on time management.  By personality, he was always an excellent time manager.  His reading matched with his personal strengths. With  a much different personality my reading of time management materials has only resulted in much less improvement.  We all have differing strengths and weaknesses.  While it is good to keep working on improving in our areas of weakness, it is even more important to work toward our strengths.  Go where your gifts are.  Marginal improvement in our weaker areas will still be of value, but major improvements in our strengths will have a big payoff.  Many years ago a noted leader told me “Your gifts will find a place for you.”  I have always found that to be helpful advice.  When I am tempted to bemoan my areas of limitation, I try to remember that we are all unique creations of a loving God who “knows our frame” and recognizes our weaknesses, but glories still in the things he can accomplish through the unique gifts he has given us.  So let’s relax and use what we have been given and let God’s strength fill both our gifts and our weakness for his glory.  Let’s go on with major emphasis on our gifts and minor emphasis on improving our weaknesses under God’s loving guidance.

01/12/2020

When the first big snow came a few weeks ago, I had no trouble finding the salt to make the walks secure.  It was there inside the front door where it had been since last winter.  Spring came and then summer and then Fall.  The bucket with its blue lid was there the whole time.  I passed it every day, but I no longer saw it.  Originally, I had planned to put it in the garage when winter was done, but I no longer could see it.  Advertising experts tell us that any poster up for more than two weeks is no longer seen by those who regularly walk past it.  As they put it, it has now become wall paper, only noticeable when it is removed.  How much we miss when thing become too familiar.  I appreciate the sentiment of the hymn “Open my eyes that I may see glimpse of truth Thou hast for me…”  I have been tempted to add it as an introduction for every sermon, but if I did that, soon no one would “see” after the first few times.  Perhaps the goal for worship would be enough that is familiar to make us feel secure and enough that is new to make up feel challenged.  If we are not observant we might even miss what God is doing with us and in our world.  Open our eyes Lord that we might see you clearly even with our distracted sight.

01/05/2020

This first Sunday of the New Year finds us back in the chapel.  Originally, we came up with this strategy as a way to save money on the cost of heating the larger sanctuary during the coldest months.  Along the way we discovered other advantages.  The smaller space means we sit closer together.  We see each other more clearly as a result.  The interaction is far better as we linger in the chapel to talk with each other.  We miss the organ and the choir is a bit crowded, but the chapel simplifies things for our musicians.  When we sing in the chapel the sound of all our voices is wonderful as we fill that smaller space.  What started out as a money saving measure has turned out to be a significant blessing.  Similar things happen in the rest of our lives as well.  Simple changes often bless us, sometimes even by their simplicity alone.  Even disasters have at times opened a possibility which we would not have seen in the ordinary course of life.  The disaster may still be devastating, but hidden in the corner there may be a small blessing if we are looking for it.  So stick with us in the chapel, because who knows what blessing may await us in the chapel, in the new year, and have a blessed New Year.

12/29/2009

When I was a child, I remember being asked at birthday time, “How does it feel to be a year older?”  In truth it never felt at all different from the day before and the day after.  The only change I noticed was there was now a different answer to the question “How old are you?”  New Years has always seemed much the same to me.  The day before and the day after are pretty much the same.  The only big difference seems to be a different year date to put on checks.  It might be useful to reflect on the events of the previous years but the year ahead can not be planned in any great detail.  “New Year’s Resolutions” are normally defunct well before February arrives.  The New Year only gets the most cursory notice in the Christian calendar.  We are done with Advent and Christmas and are well on our way toward Lent and Easter.  Our culture will celebrate the New Year for an evening and a day and then we will be back to ordinary time.  We will have passed another mile marker, but the highway is still running a long toward destinations which we only dimly anticipate.  We hope the ordinary days will be pleasant and secure.  We look forward for events that are meaningful and ever for some divine surprises.  What we can count on in the New Year is that the presence of God will be with us whatever the new days bring.  Every day we will be able to say “This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

12/22/2019

The birth of Jesus reminds us of the necessity of shelter.  There was no room for them in the inn, so the little family of Joseph and Mary took shelter in a stable and laid their new born son in a feeding trough.  Still there are people who wander homeless.  Some are refugees of war, violence and poverty.  Others have fallen on bad times and may shelter in a tent or car or even or in a doorway or on a park bench.  Shelter is another of the basic human needs.  Recently, Jimmy Carter, our most useful ex-President fell while working on a Habitat for Humanity House.  He is in his 90’s and still working to bring shelter to those who need it.  I often think of the church as a sheltering place.  Here the wanderer can find rest, the sinner can find redemption, the lonely can find friendship.  At its best the church is a shelter for the world weary and storm tossed.  But as President Carter demonstrates, Christians also need to work at solving the practical problems of shelter for those who need it.  A pre-schooler, who was  told that there was no room in the inn for Jesus burst out, “He can have my room!”

12/15/2019

It was a few years ago when I first encountered the term ”food insecurity”. It was obvious from the beginning what was being described.  The fear that is experienced when there is no certainty about where the next meal is coming from can be devastating for any individual or family.  In a world of excess the idea that there are hungry people around us is very upsetting.  We would literally like to set another place at our table, especially for the hungry child.  There are other needs which human beings experience, but it is hard to feed the soul when the belly is empty.  Sharing food is one of the most basic of human experiences.  One preschooler that I met made sure everyone knew “My mommy is a good cooker!”  In this Advent season, when we think of the arrival of one we call “the Bread of Life”,  we are especially concerned that others in our world have the bread they need for life.  We pass our Christmas baskets to brighten the celebration of Jesus’ birth, but we also take regular hunger offerings so that the rest of the year is not forgotten.  We delight in the heavenly manna that comes down to us, but we also acknowledge the earthly crusty loaves which mark our daily bread.  Give us today our daily bread that we may give daily bread to all those in need of sustenance for body, mind and spirit.

12/08/2019

“Glory to God in the highest Heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” sang the heavenly hosts at Jesus’ birth.  The Church of the Brethren peace group has chosen “On Earth Peace” as its title.  We still, after nearly 2000 years, are looking to bring about peace on earth.  We pray for it.  We practice it on various levels.  We desire to work with all that promotes peace in our world among nations, within nations in communities and in homes.  It has many dimensions from eliminating wars, to countering violence in our society.  At times, it seems to be an uphill battle to wage peace, but we are confident that the Prince of Peace, Jesus, supports our efforts.  Our real goal is not just absence of conflict, but the achievement of wholeness for everyone.  Wholeness is a matter of body, mind, and spirit.  It is peace within, but it is also peace among.  Creative conflict without violence may be one stage along the way, but ultimately we hope for cooperation and wholeness.  The Hebrew concept of Shalom has that sense of comprehensive wholeness where we are at one with God and with our neighbor in body, mind, and spirit.  We strive to be at peace with each other so that love and compassion may be the watchword for all our endeavors.

12/01/2019

One of the minor characters in Tolkien’s novel,  Lord of the Rings who never made it into the movies is Tom Bombadil.  He is described as the “Eldest,” one who “walked under the stars at night before the fear came…”  It is interesting how often we associate the darkness of night with fear and the light with safety and security.  Even the small light of a candle in the window is a symbol of home and comfort.  For God, light and darkness are both warm and comfortable.  For us light can be a gift from God.  Jesus is the light of the world and to a lesser degree so are we his disciples.  We are not to cover it up with a shade but let it shine.  Advent is a season of light and each Sunday we light an additional candle until we light the Christ candle in honor of Christ’s birth.  From that candle we light our own candles as we sing “Son of God love’s pure light in radiant beams from Thy holy face…”  We raise our candles and the whole sanctuary is flooded with beautiful, soft light, just as we hope Christ’s light will flood all the world.  We hope each little light of ours will shine as well in all the dark corners of the world.  Light of lights, shine around us.  Light of lights, shine in us.  Light of lights, shine through us until the whole world blazes with your heavenly light.

11/24/2019

President John F. Kennedy issued Proclamation 3560 on November 5, 1963, stating, “Over three centuries ago our fore fathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving on the appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their field, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God.”  Like many leaders before him and after him, President Kennedy reminded us of our heritage of celebration of thanksgiving to God for the abundance of our blessings.  Christians ought always to be thankful, but it is quite appropriate for civil authorities to acknowledge our corporate thankfulness to God.  At the end of tragic or disastrous events, at the end of a war or major conflict a time of thanksgiving seems needed.  In times of fruitfulness, plenty, and peace we should be even more thankful.  The fourth Thursday of November seems a fitting time to offer our thanks.  The harvest is gathered in.  The families are gathered together.  The worshippers are gathered together in the house of God.  The organ is opened up with all the stops out on "Now thank we all our God with heart and soul and voices, who wondrous things has done, in this world rejoices…”

11/17/2019

Remind me in February when I complain about the snow and cold that I said back in November that I love the snow.  I like it best sitting by the fireplace with a cup of coffee and a cookie.  Looking out the window, the snow looks so clear and clean. If there is ice on the trees it looks like a crystal fairyland.  I know that the ice is not good for the trees and that before Spring, Indiana will be the slush capital of the nation.  Most of us like the variety that the change of seasons present.  We are often ready for that change even well before it comes.  It is interesting that we find other kinds of change difficult.  Perhaps that is because we can’t be sure what the results of change will be.With the seasons we can be sure that spring will follow winter and summer will follow spring and fall will follow summer and winter will follow fall.With other change we are less certain.If customs change, what will be lost or what will be the final outcome?Is the change good or bad?Is the change inevitable?How will we deal with the changing circumstances?It can help if we remember that we worship a God who is even more dependable than the seasons.There will be no change that we cannot face with the help of the dependable God.

11/10/2019

Some may think that the Church Annual Business Meeting is not a very important event.  Certainly, it often does not feel that exciting.  I have heard national church leaders describe Annual Conference or Annual Meeting with the sentence “We survived another one.” A meeting in which there are not major problems is one to be appreciated.  On a local level there can at times be controversies  but we have not had any difficult meetings in many years.  If our annual business meeting has good attendance, appropriate questions are raised and responded to and good decisions are made.  It is then alright if the meeting feels a bit boring with no major controversy.  After all, it is good to have reports on the work of that the church is doing.  We know much of this already, but it is good to be reminded.  We do not desire to operate the church like a business, but we do hope to have good business practices in place to meet the legal expectations for church corporations.  We expect today’s Business meeting to be typical in these regards because of the good and competent leadership we have in boards, commissions and deacons as well as in other working groups.  If the atmosphere is open, compassionate and thoughtful at the meeting an occasional peaceful yawn would not be a bad thing.

11/03/2019

One of the great titles for God is Creator.  It provides an intimate link between us as part of the created world and the God who made us all.  We are not self- made beings no matter how arrogant we might become.  Our individual existence was dependent on other agencies, namely our parents.  We are part of the created order.  We share our existence with other created beings.  We are genetic cousins with other species even though it is hard sometimes to take such knowledge into our minds.  The common connection is the God who created us and our world.  By creation we are sisters and brothers with all the other human beings on our planet.  We were created in God’s image and at our best intended to be like God.  Since God is creator we are endowed with creativity as well.  When we create art, poetry, music, machines, computers, rockets, new plant varieties, medicines, and societal structures, indeed anything good and worthy, we are imitating God’s creative instinct. We hope that all such things will be for good and for the glory of God and not for evil and destruction.  At the end of all our endeavors we wish to look back at all we have done and say like the Creator God, “It is very good.”

10/27/2019

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.