Many hats... one heart

I wear many hats.                         
                           

I'm a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a pastor, a friend and a volunteer... a military spouse, a retiree spouse (!), a listener, a reader, a blogger, laundry woman, an expat and most recently, a knitter... and those titles only scratch the surface.

Anyone reading this will know me by a few of these roles... it's not really possible for me to wear all those hats at the same time. But I hope that it's also been evident that while I may wear many hats, I only have one heart.

It's a heart that attempts, in every instance, to put love first.

... that shares my gifts with those around me...

... that keeps looking forward instead of to the past...

... that sees everyone as created in the image of God...

... that tries to work toward justice and peace for those near and far away...

... that seeks to find inner peace for myself...

... that cries at the pain of others...

... that rages at the ways that people will intentionally hurt others in order to have their own way...

... that wonders if there is anything that I can do to facilitate healing to this crazy, mixed up world we are living in.

People have often asked me my favorite scripture. I'm not a big memorizer of bible verses, but there are a couple of passages that I start and end my day with, every day.

The first is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). You know it, but I can't help myself...

The answer to the question about eternal life is this: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. But the most important part of this story is the question that followed: "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus tells the story of a man beaten, abandoned and holding onto life by a thread. All the of the people we expect to help just passed him by. Spoiler alert: the hero of the story is the outcast, who touched the untouchable, and expended his time, energy and resources to bring the man back to fullness of life. 

And every day I pray, "Lord, let me be the Samaritan..."

The second is another parable, this one from Matthew 25... the sheep and the goats... 

This story always hits me on two levels. 

* Am I treating others as if there were Christ in my life? * What kind of society do we live in that seems to discount or throw away the sick, the hungry and thirsty, the lost and naked... anyone who is different, as if their lives have no value at all? 

In a little town in Russia, there was a cobbler named Martin. He had lived long in the village, and had hardly been a pair of shoes he had not seen, at one time or another.Martin had always been a good man, but in his old age he began to think more about hissoul and to draw nearer to God. From that time on Martin’s life changed. He grew more peaceful and joyful. And one night, while reading from the gospel of Matthew, Martin had a dream that told him this, “Look into the street tomorrow, for I shall come.” In an instant, Martin knew that Christ would visit him the next day, and even in his excitement, slept with great anticipation for the coming day to arrive.

On waking, Martin said his prayers and made a pot of cabbage soup. Then he sat down to work. His windows were right at street level, so as he looked out onto the street occasionally, and if anyone unfamiliar walked by, he would stoop and look up to see if they were coming into his shop. And old and broken man stood in front of the window, having barely enough energy to brush the snow away. “What if I have him in and fame him some tea,” Martin wondered. The kettle is on to boil. So Martin beckoned him in and went to open the door. Come and warm yourself. I’m sure you must be cold.

The old man was quite grateful and they chatted as the afternoon went on. But Martin kept looking out the window, waiting for the Christ to appear. Soon the old man was warm enough to go on his way. He thanked Martin, and Martin went back to work.

People kept walking by. Soon a woman, carrying a baby stopped by the window. She had on summer clothes and was trying to wrap the baby in a cotton cloth. Martin could not help but invite them inside. There he shared with them bread and cabbage soup. He made porridge for the baby. He brought her a old cloak to wrap up the baby, gave her a coin to get her winter clothing from the pawn shop, and sent her on her way.

Finally, a young boy came by, snatching an apple from an old woman right in front Martin’s window. Martin saved the boy from the old woman’s wrath, buying him two apples, and making him promise not to steal again.

By now, evening was approaching, and it was too dark to get any work done. Martin set about the task of cleaning, and waiting. He wondered about the promised visit, and what could keep it from coming true. He just knew that Christ would come. Something important must have kept him away. And then he heard footsteps. “Who is it?” “It is I,” said the voice, and out stepped the old man, who smiled and vanished like a cloud. “It is I,” said the voice again. And out of the darkness stepped the woman and the baby in her arms. Smiling and laughing, they too vanished. “It is I,” said the voice once more. And the old woman and the boy with the apple stepped forward, and then they too vanished.

And Martin’s soul grew glad, for he remembered the words he had been reading… I was hungry and you fed me… I was thirsty and you gave me drink (-- attributed to Leo Tolstoy in The Book of Virtues,158-166.)

======================
My faith journey has been filled with opportunities to make sure all of my hats fit securely on my one heart. It's not easy. The laundry women's heart can sometimes be resentful that all these clothes need to be washed and ironed (sometimes) again and again. And then I remember that I don't wash and iron because it's my job, but because it's my contribution to our family, and because whatever I don't spend on going to the cleaners gives me more to spend on yarn.

Some days I just want to play it safe, which might mean calling in sick to a group, or not speaking up when words are unintentionally, or worse, intentionally spoken. Some days I want to lash out... be mad... and ugly. Time and prayer and knitting usually help me recenter and uncover the heart that Jesus wants me to have.

A few weeks ago, a large manila envelope showed up in my mailbox. That night, before I went to bed, I sat down with my absentee ballot and my computer to research the candidates and issues before me. I tried to vote with my loving heart...

A few months from now, my denomination will be making decisions that affect our future together and my future as a member of its clergy. I hope they vote with their loving hearts, too.

No matter what, we are all called to live with one heart. As a Christian, my life's work is really simple and desperately hard... to love God and my neighbor with every ounce of my being, and to live that love out in the world, no matter what hat I'm wearing.

Whatever the outcome of these elections and other areas where there is potential for disagreement, here is my advice: Be gentle with one another. See Christ in others. Be good listeners. Accept our differences. Don't hold a grudge. And let us do it all in a spirit of love.

Peace, Deb

(c)  Deb Luther Teagan - November 2018

(c) https://newdaychurch.info/portfolio-item/who-is-my-neighbor/

Word of the Day: Mistake

I had an appointment this morning and instead of taking a book, I took my latest knitting project. This is a new thing for me - I've been crocheting for almost 15 years, but knitting only since last November. I'd like to think I'm getting better, but then something catastrophic happened... I dropped a stitch. I was talking with the nice receptionist and I didn't feel it slide off the end of my needle and within a couple of minutes, I saw it drop down two more rows.

In crochet, if you make a mistake, you just pull the yarn out back to the place you need to correct, find your place in the pattern, and keep going. In knitting, it's just not that simple. A mistake often means knitting backward, stitch by stitch, until you get to the place where your mistake is. When you drop a stitch, you either have to fix it right away or anchor it so that it doesn't get away from you. I usually use a crochet hook to pull the stitch back into place - no crochet hook today - or use to stitch marker or safety pin to hold it in place - nope, didn't have that either.

So by the time I got home, it was a real mess. I started tinking (knitting backward) for realized that it would take several hours, so I did the almost unimaginable, I pulled out 11 rows of stitches and gingerly rethreaded my project on my needles to start the color change again.

This was a great reminder of why knitting is still an emotional chore for me. The price of making a mistake is high, and it takes a crazy amount of time to fix it. In fact, if I didn't love this yarn so much, I might have stuffed it in a bag to come back to another time.

But I couldn't give up, so I came home, settled into my comfortable chair, and did the work necessary to get back on the right track. And in the future, I won't get over the end of my skis... my friends may be able to knit without seeming to look, but I am a long way from being about to do that myself.

So why am I sharing this? Because it made me mindful of how hard it is to admit making a mistake. We know that when we acknowledge it, we'll have to go back and do a lot of hard work to make things right. Recognizing our mistakes often means admitting wrongdoing or ignorance, owning the mistake, apologizing and going about the long and arduous task of making things right. Even then, big mistakes are not something that we ever really forget. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to show you where my scarf went off the rails... even though you would never be able to tell.

As a Christian pastor, part of my job is to claim the prophetic mantle, as uncomfortable as it is most days. I am absolutely positive that I have made many mistakes that I have never recognized, confessed or corrected... bad on me. Sometimes it takes a true friend to say to me, "Deb, I think you have some work to do here." But when I have messed things up, I hope that it's been my practice to make things right, the best I can. And if I haven't always done it well, I hope I've learned important lessons to help me in the future.

We live in perilous times, and I have been thinking lately that I should turn off the news, stop reading and only think of happy things. But my faith requires me to stay connected and to speak out when I see a place where Jesus' teachings and Christian traditions can help us stay true to our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ.

I will often post articles, book suggestions, photos, and memes which reflect my experience of a faithful response. Trust me, I weigh very carefully what I share. And even if we disagree, I hope that we continue our friendship in love, acknowledging that none of us can ever have the whole picture alone.

It's just another way I am reminded that being a pastor is not just a job - it's a way of life.

Here's my advice for the day: Be gentle with one another. Let us own our mistakes and work to make things right. And let us do it all in a spirit of love.

Peace, Deb

(c) Deb Luther Teagan, June 19, 2018

Sermon - How does your garden grow? (Pentecost 4B)

4^th Sunday After Pentecost                                                       June 17, 2018

Mark 4:26-34, 2 Corinthians 5:6-17                            Panzer Liturgical Service

I do love Spring. We have a garden in our backyard. In previous summers we have planted small seedlings from the garden center. But this year, everything we planted came from seeds. Before Easter, Shawn planted little dirt disks with 2 kinds of tomatoes, butternut squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, brussels sprouts, and sunflowers. Every day he would look under the clear plastic dome to see if there was any action.

It didn’t take long for something happen. The tiny seeds sprouted, breaking through the dirt and soon, small pairs of leaves were leaning toward the light. A month later, we transplanted our little seedlings to bigger containers and started acclimating them to the outside weather. One month ago, we planted them in our garden. The tomatoes and squash are doing best, growing visibly every day. In a couple of months, we will hopefully have a good harvest. And each plant came from just one seed.

How does this happen? A seed gets planted in the ground and sooner or later, a crop is ready to be harvested. Oh, we do a little – make sure there is good soil, take away the weeds, give water and sometimes shelter them from an unexpected cold. But the process of growing is really out of our hands unless we kill our crop from benign neglect. What a miracle to watch fruits and vegetable and grains come into their full potential all around us. All we have to do is sow and get ready for the harvest.

When you heard the lesson for today, I’ll bet you said, “OK, today’s lesson is the one about the mustard seed, I know this one.” In fact, the mustard seed is the star of parables in all three synoptic gospels.  In Matthew & Luke, it’s a simple message – the mustard seed is small, but grows into a big tree. It’s a metaphor for faith – faith, even if it’s small, is big enough to uproot the largest tree.

But in Mark, Jesus prefaces the mustard seed parable with another about sowing seed. It addresses the joint nature of the harvest. The sower plants the seeds, maybe carefully, maybe just throwing them to the wind to fall down where they may. But everything is not in the sower’s control. Yes, the sower or farmer can make conditions optimal for growth, but the power for the seed to sprout and make fruit is the hands of God and his creation alone.

So how does this relate to a life of faith? We are quick to put all kinds of conditions on what it means to be a person of faith. Did you say the right prayer? Where you baptized by the right person in the right church by the right means? Are you attending the right church or right denomination? How do you interpret scripture? Do you follow the right rules?

But in this passage, it feels like Jesus is questioning this premise. In the first parable we hear that “the kingdom is like scattering seed.”  The sower/farmer doesn’t know exactly how it happens, but has confidence that as the seed grows, the harvest will come. It sounds like Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God will come, often in spite of us. Apparently, both Matthew and Luke are uncomfortable with this world as well; they omit this first parable and all this talk of secrets. And for a long time, this made me uneasy, too. What remains clear is that the kingdom is a marvelous thing, a gift from God and not totally under our control. Small beginnings bring large outcomes, even if our good intentions get in the way. [i] 

I don’t know if you have ever read through Mark’s gospel in one sitting. You should try it. It’s only a little over 600 verses and reads like a superhero story, with Jesus in the staring role. Only he isn’t very hero-like, and his sidekicks, the disciples, are clearly clueless most of the time. This first parable actually gives us some hope that if we just keep at it – working for the Kingdom – we won’t mess it up too much if we remember that God is the master gardener. It is the nature of God’s reign to manifest itself. That’s what it does.[ii]

And that’s the easy part of the lesson. But there is a more difficult message embedded in this second parable… difficult if you like your Kingdom of God neat and orderly and the way it’s always been. If you ask any farmer in the Middle East about the mustard tree or shrub, he will tell you that once it gets in your garden you may never get rid of it, sort of like dandelions, but bigger.

So maybe one of the first questions a person in Jesus’ audience would ask is, “Why would you intentionally plant mustard seeds in your garden?” Not only is it an ugly weed, but when it grows large enough for birds to come and roost in its branches, those birds are going to do a lot of damage. Roosting birds in a garden will wake you up early, eat your crop, and leave little presents behind … it’s hard to imagine a world where you invite them to come to make a home with you.

But that’s exactly what Jesus did. He invited everyone to come and follow him. The passage that we read from 2 Corinthians is pretty complicated and convoluted, but it ends with a declarative statement. Paul writes:

For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died… So, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5:14,17 (NRSV)

Paul said a lot of things that we as the church declare as definitive – absolute must-follows for faith. Well, I think we need to add this one to the list. Here Paul echoes the message of the parable. Jesus came and died for everyone… for you, for me, for the person next door, for the guy who parks at the end of your driveway blocking you in, for the parents and children seeking asylum, for those who want to turn them away, for those who haven’t even heard of him yet, even for those who don’t yet believe.  And when people do commit themselves to Jesus, they are a part of our family, whether we like it or not.

But do we really believe this? Do we believe that every person who has walked on this earth has value simply because “Christ died for all”? Do we believe that just because Jesus was willing to die for everyone, that gives their lives intrinsic value? Even at my most optimistic, I would have to say, No, we don’t. 

Author and pastor Dawn Chesser put it this way:

Paul says that each person’s value has already been established through Christ’s death… We don’t need to know whether or not a person has confessed Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior before we decide to treat him or her with dignity and respect… We don’t need to know anything about the person, because we already know all we need to know: he or she is valuable because Christ died FOR him or her, just as for us.[iii] 

It’s easy to get caught up in a “them vs us” mentality. In our worlds of education, position, income and status, we forget that 

the original followers of Jesus were, in the eyes of the culture, all pretty much losers – lowly fishermen, despised tax collectors, prostitutes and criminals, lowlifes loathed by the religious establishment. [But] maybe that’s the way the followers of Jesus have always looked to the rest of the world – those people desperate enough, lowly enough, to find hope in Jesus’ message.[iv]

So where is our hope? When we are struggling, experience loss, or just can’t find our footing - when we wonder what the future holds and if this Jesus-life is really for us, Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God comes of its own…and it comes for us. There is room for everyone in this kingdom. Jesus’ parables tell us that all things are possible because our God is great.  We think the work of faith is difficult, but when we recognize our own needs and the needs of others are the same, everything is possible through the love and power of God.

Someone asked me the other day what I do for a living and I answered, “I read.” I read books, I read articles, I listen to podcasts [which is like reading with your ears], and then I look up resources on the stuff that I’ve already read. I also subscribe to a bunch of faith-related newsletters from a variety of sources. I guess that 40-50% of these newsletters address the topic of boosting church attendance. Now I’m all for having more people in church, but I am more convinced than ever that this will not solve the institutional church’s problems.

Church is not just the building or the people who have gathered inside. Church is just not about how we ourselves come to faith in Jesus or the strategies we will employ to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. The growth of our religious institutions is not the measuring stick which will determine our faithfulness. Instead, we are called to see our place in the biblical story, and in the process, hear Jesus’ call to live our lives in the shadow and protection of God’s greatest gift – love.

Today’s readings inspire us to see God in unexpected people and places. We are called to look beyond the obvious to discover God everywhere, in everyone. And while the life unfolding around us often feels precarious and unimportant – and our role infinitesimal – a great harvest and great possibilities are on the horizon for those who see from a God’s eye view, through the eyes of faith. Great things do come from small beginnings.[v]

I originally intended to end with the story of Johnny Appleseed.[vi]  It’s a wonderful tale in it’s simplest form and gives a good snapshot of a person who dedicated his whole life to the love of God, neighbor, and nature. But the events of the week could not be chased from my mind or heart as so often happens these days. And when I was looking through my library for a book I own about a village in France that operated an underground railroad for Jews during World War II[vii], I found something even better.

I encountered writer Ina Hughs through a book on a bargain sale table at a brick and morter bookstore. It is a collection of columns she wrote for the Knoxville News Sentinel in the early 1990’s, mostly about children and divided into three sections: Yours, Mine and Ours. These essays are about children she knows and ones she never met. Some are laugh-out-loud funny and others will bring a tear to your eye. In the front of the books is a poem – a prayer for children. I’m going to end the sermon with this poem, this prayer today. 

Link to A Prayer for Children – Ina Hughs (1995)

These are the children Jesus invites to the Kingdom of God. This is who we are called to love.[viii]

Amen.

Peace, Deb

---

[i] James Boyce, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2469

[ii] Matt Skinner, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3676

[iii] Dawn Chesser, http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship/lectionary-calendar/third-sunday-after-pentecost5

[iv] David Lose, http://www.davidlose.net/2015/06/pentecost-3-b-preach-the-truth-slant/

[v] Bruce Epperly, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2015/06/the-adventurous-lectionary-the-third-sunday-after-pentecost-june-14-2015/

[vi] Wikipedia, Johnny Appleseed, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed

[vii] Philip Hallie, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed, Harper Perennial, 1994.

[viii] Ina Hughs, A Prayer for Children, William Morrow Publishers, 1995.

Book Review - Inspired by Rachel Held Evans

In 2012, we were moving from Washington DC to Washington State and we had a 5-day, 2-vehicle journey before us. I had several books on my reading list and decided to join Audible.com and download them for easy listening for the journey. One of the books I bought was Rachel's first book, originally titled "Evolving in Monkey Town" and renamed "Faith Unraveled" in it's revised printing a few years later. It was her faith story - growing up in Cleveland, TN, home of the famous trial about evolution in the 1920's, she was raised in a conservative Christian tradition and has the Bible battle trophies to prove her biblical knowledge. But eventually, she had questions, ones that her church repeatedly told her to stop asking. And as her faith assumptions unraveled, she expanded her understanding of the biblical story and what it means to be a Christian... she became an Episcopalian.

Since then she has written three other books - "A Year of Biblical Womanhood," which looks at the role of women in the Bible and religion, and "Searching for Sunday," about her journey to find a new faith community and richly framed through the lens of the sacraments.

Her fourth book is being released next week, June 12, 2018. It is "Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again," In early May, I happened to see a post on her Facebook page asking for people to read advanced copies and write honest reviews. I jumped at the change and entered my name. Within a day, I had been selected and forwarded a digital copy of the book.

I've taken over a month to read it, even though I could have finished it in a couple of days. I downloaded a new PDF program that allowed me to highlight, underline and write in the margins. After 2 chapters, I ordered my own paper copy, so that I can transfer my current notes and make more. And I convinced the women's ministry in my current location to choose this as one of our offerings for the Fall semester.

I have many words to describe it:
Relatable
Conversational
Well-researched and scholarly
Storytelling at its best within the Grand Story

In a new twist, Rachel breaks the biblical text into different kinds of stories - Origin, Deliverance, War, Wisdom, Resistance, Gospel, Fish, & Church... they are the kinds of delineations that I had not thought of before, but they work. As someone who usually studies to teach or preach, it gave me a fresh look at the ways that God has interacted with people, from the beginning to the end, from Genesis to Revelation.

Each of the chapters is prefaced with a signature story - The Temple, The Well, The Wall, The Debate, The Beast, The Water, The Sea, The Letter. Some of the tellings seem ancient - some very modern. Each one drives home the understanding that the Bibles stories are also our stories. It was a great reminder of the Bible as the God's story, kept alive not just through the transcribed and printed word, but before that, as our oral tradition and the personal history of those who came before us. Like sharing dinner with family, these stories are told over and over because they tell us something true about who God is and who we are created to be.

For some, it will provide an "ah-ha" experience. For others, it will challenge many of the assumptions brought to reading and studying the Bible. For me, as a seminary-trained, 25-year ordained United Methodist clergyperson, it's exactly the kind of book that can spark essential conversations about how to read the Bible and where we fit into the grand story it tells.

For many, this may be the first foray into historical, contextual and literary biblical criticism. The variety of scholars, preachers, and teachers contributing to this work is really wonderful, and the Footnote appendix provides a great starter library for anyone who wants to explore these topics further. Even my wishlist got a lot longer!

The chapters War Stories and Resistance Stories effected me significantly. Some may feel that a few of the examples are quite contemporary to the current religious and political climate in the United States. But I think they will age well, and translate across international borders. For me, they are the testimony of someone who struggles and wrestles with the Word ti live an authentic Christian life in the midst of difficult times. I think it's also significant that Rachel had two children as bookends to the beginning and end of this book-birthing process. A lot of the work she asks us to do feels like labor - hard and intense, but totally worth it in the end.

In a nutshell, I loved it. I'll read it over and over, mark the pages with highlighting and underlines, and pull out little post-it note tabs to mark my favorite passages, for personal consumption and in preparation for teaching and preaching. I look forward to reading it with a group, because I think our varied stories will enhance even more our understanding of what Rachel is trying to teach us. And I'll recommend it to many. It's a great read for all - for those who know and love the Scriptures but want to engage in a new way, and for anyone who isn't sure what the big deal is all about.

I feel so blessed to have been a part of this launching process, and am so grateful for my Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

My recommendation: 5 stars... Go buy the book!

#InspiredBook

Peace, Deb

Sermon - Jesus - Troublemaker-in-Chief (Pentecost 2B)

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B                         June 3, 2018

Mark 2:23‑3:6,  1 Samuel 3:1-20                   Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, DE

Doing What Needs to Be Done or

Jesus – Troublemaker in Chief

So, one Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples are walking through a field of wheat. Theirs is a semi-nomadic life, receiving shelter and food offered by followers and friends. Hungry, they pulled a few wheat stalks and placed the head of a stalk between their palms, rolled it back and forth until the casing and chaff fall off, leaving seven or eight wheat berries, which they chewed like gum until they dissolved in their mouths.

The Pharisees who witnessed this blatant disregard of the Law were irate: You must observe the Sabbath – that’s the law. As far as they were concerned, this disregard placed the security of the nation in jeopardy. But Jesus wasn’t finished offending them. Later that same day, he cures the withered hand of a man in the synagogue. When Jesus confronts the Pharisees about whether it is better to do good or harm on the Sabbath, they are silent. After all, a rule is a rule is a rule, and this rule defines them. “We are people who keep the sabbath... we are people who play by the rules.”

The problem comes when the rules take on a life of their own… when following the rules becomes more important than the spirit of the rules, which define what it means to love God and neighbor. The Jewish people have a long history. They have been slaves, they have been wanderers, ruled by wise kings, then conquered, killed and taken into exile, slaves again. And now, during Jesus’ life, they are back in their homeland, but not in control of their own existence.

Living under Roman occupation was like being in exile, but home – a kind of house arrest. The Pharisees knew that they were no match against the Roman army. They tried to straddle a line between the rules of the Roman authorities and the rules of their religion. Surely, their only hope was the power and protection of God. They could not afford to get on God's bad side. Strict adherence to the Law seemed to be the only way. Seeing his actions, this day, it was clear that Jesus represented a real threat to their leadership and to the status quo.

Jesus answered their concern with a question, "Don't you remember when David and his men were fleeing the wrath of King Saul, and coming upon the priests who tended the tent and ark of the covenant, asked them to share the ritual bread, reserved only for the priests, with his tried and hungry men?"

There is more to Jesus' response than, "Rules are meant to be broken." The response tests the Pharisees’ priorities. Jesus reaches back into the history of Israel to set up an important parallel. David and Jesus both represent the ways of a loving, caring, compassionate God, a God of justice and a God of mercy. Their ways are higher than the ways of Law or Temple than the ways of kings and emperors. If people are hungry ‑ they must be fed, Sabbath or not. If people are diseased or disable ‑ ­they must be healed, Sabbath or not. If people are oppressed ‑ they must be liberated, Caesar or not.

How many times do we look to the rules as the thing that will save us? Have you ever been in a church committee meeting and heard one of these phrases: "We've always done it this way," or "we've never done it that way before." Jesus knew that the most important thing was to take care of people. The Law had provisions for this. It allowed hungry people to pick that grain and eat it as long as they didn't carry any of it with them. It allowed for someone's life to be saved, even on the Sabbath. Jesus just understood the concept of being "saved" in a little different light.

How many times do we hold to a position, not just because we want to follow the letter of the law, but because we are afraid of the unknown? Jesus isn’t asking people to abandon the Law willy-nilly. But he does want us to be present in the moment and meet the needs of people.

Jesus is challenging the values and priorities of the Pharisees. He knows that their eagerness in following the Law was not in the service of God's people, not in compassionate response to the hungry, the sick, the oppressed, or the imprisoned, not for holiness but rather, as a strategy to keep the Jewish people in line, and Caesar and his forces ‑­military and economic ‑‑ in check. Jesus favors neither the ways of Caesar, not the ways of the Pharisees. He carefully avoids being drawn into that struggle. Instead, he seeks to demonstrate that the reign of God is near.

I love today’s reading from 1 Samuel. Children often hear God’s voice calling them, but as adults, we are quick to misunderstand what they are hearing. It took several times for Eli to realize that the voice that Samuel was hearing was God’s voice. And it was a hard word… it caused a hardship to Eli, but even he realized this word was necessary for Israel to get back on the right track… sometimes the word of the Lord makes our ears tingle…

I served as an associate pastor at a Methodist Church in Oklahoma. I wasn’t really looking for work, but the church hired me and the bishop appointed me, all before I could say, “No, thank you.” My first year there, some members realized that kids needed school supplies, so they started a drive to collect for kids and schools and really got a lot of interest generated to help out. Then we started a gift drive for Christmas – DHS funding had been cut and in less than 5 days we raised $15,000, shopped for gifts and provided wrapping for the parents, who were able to choose gifts for their kids, not just take what was given to them. Project Noel was born.

The next February, our church council meeting was infiltrated or inundated (their words, not mine) by members of our church youth group. They told stories of their friends who sometimes did not have a warm meal between when they ate free lunch at school on Friday to when they had free breakfast on Monday morning. The community had a back-pack ministry, where non-perishable foods were sent home on Friday to help kids have something to eat over the weekend, but most of those kids didn’t get a hot meal in between.

The youth had this idea that our congregation could host a monthly meal and invite all of these backpack families to come and share in a free, hot meal together. And they wanted to go all out… table linens, real plates and silverware, decorations, music, and people would sit at the table and talk to them, not for the purpose of recruiting them for church, but just to build friendships and let them know they were important. The Council said, “No.” Liability, return on investment, never done it before… the reasons were legend.

So, the next month they showed up again. And again in April. And then we realized they weren’t going away. So, in conjunction with our school supply drive that August, we planned a spaghetti dinner, and we looked out after a couple of hours and every table was full and people of different races and socioeconomic groups, speaking English and Spanish, were having a great time together. Within a year, other churches had picked up on the idea and eventually there was someplace to get a free, hot meal every Saturday, year-round. And it started with a group of youth who heard the voice of God and would not take no for an answer.

The ultimate affirmation came one day when I was shopping at Walmart in my Project Noel t-shirt and the cashier asked, “Do you go to that church?” “I do, have you heard about us?” She replied, “Oh, yes, we know all about you-you're the church that loves people.”

We have to get past the idea that strong faith journeys are all about doing the big thing. Grand gestures are wonderful and following rules and guidelines make for orderly organized institutions, but underneath it all, individual followers of Jesus, young and old alike, are called to do the small thing in a spirit of love every day. This week alone I saw some of those acts of kindness, videos of an 8-year old boy who got his mom to stop so he could help a lady with a walker safely get up some terraced sidewalk steps and a class of kindergarteners who great each other individually with a handshake or hug and a wish for a good day of learning. It’s this kind of thing that gives me great hope for our church and our world.

There is a lot of hurt around us these days – so much that it is easy to be paralyzed – struck with an inability to figure out what needs we can attend to. Some people don’t want church to be political, but the needs of the world have a political dimension, and sometimes the most effective solutions can be best addressed by speaking in a political forum. Jesus did just that. It makes us uncomfortable, but it’s something we have to deal with.

The Son of Man, a biblical figure often associated with the coming of the reign of God, is Lord, even of the Sabbath. He reminds us that the Sabbath was made for us, to help us focus on what’s important, not to keep us in line or protect the institutions of the world. Our real duty – our challenge – is to love people and meet their needs. Jesus grieves when we allow our hearts to be hardened and when we worry more about protecting the status quo than we do meeting the needs we see around us. We are never too young or too old to be a force for good in the world. What does that look like for you? I don’t know, but I do think you’ll recognize the opportunity when you see it. Train your brain and your heart … do good, not harm.

This is our call: Feed the hungry. Heal the sick. Visit the lonely. Liberate the oppressed. Do it whenever there is a need because you may not get another chance. The reign of God is very near. We are called to do what needs to be done. And we have a great role model… Jesus – Troublemaker in Chief.

Amen.

Peace, Deb

No direct quotes this week, but influenced by listening to Pulpit Fiction Podcast (Robb McCoy and Eric Fistler [https://www.pulpitfiction.com/notes/proper4b]) and reading Preach This Week (Matt Skinner, [http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3667]).

Sermon: It's the Church's Birthday - There Will Be Cake! (Pentecost Sunday B)

Pentecost Day B ‑‑ May 20, 2018    Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart, Germany

Acts 2:1‑21, John 15:26‑27; 6:4b‑15, Romans 8:12‑17       Confirmation Sunday

If you line them up, the Christian feast day of the Pentecost would be considered the third most important holy day of the church year, after Easter and Christmas. It is built on the foundations of a Jewish commemoration which celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai and the end of the Spring harvest season. Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann says, “Pentecost is the moment when gestation ceases and birthing occurs. Thus, it is both an end and a beginning, the leaving behind of that which is past, the launching forth into that which is only now beginning to be. Pentecost, therefore, is not a time of completion. It is moving forward into new dimensions of being, whose basic forms are clear, but whose fulfillment has yet to be realized.”[i]

That year, Jerusalem was flooded with Jews who had come in from every corner of the world to celebrate this important festival. On a day to day basis, Jerusalem probably had a split personality – part Jewish capital and part Roman colony. But at festival time, Jerusalem became more like the city of its former glory. One of the important things to know is that those who heard Peter’s sermon were not there to hear about Jesus or in anticipation of the Holy Spirit coming. For them, Pentecost was already a thing. They were there to celebrate what they already believed about God. It was seven weeks – 50 days – after Passover, which coincidentally is also 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Pentecost reminded Jews of power that the Torah – the Law – had to give them. It fixed their identity as a holy nation and priestly people. But on this day, Pentecost is transformed by the Holy Spirit to breathe life in the Jesus’ people – the Church, uniting them in Christ. To all, the festival expressed the inclusivity of God, and how identities are formed and shaped by God if we allow it.

For many days after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples and other followers kept a low profile. They waited, maybe in fear or uncertainty. They waited to see what would come next. And then the wind and the fire descended. Those gathered were driven in the streets, and Spirit-led, Peter preached a sermon which converted many right on the spot, the first of many revivals to come. Three thousand converted in one day. Soon afterward, these new followers were sharing a community lifestyle, caring for those who had the most need.

In some ways, we are like those waiting disciples. We know who Jesus is, but we’re waiting around to see what comes next. But I think that to celebrate Pentecost most authentically, we have to blow our covers and come out of the shadows. It’s one thing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and even to grieve the death of Jesus and celebrate his resurrection. But Pentecost requires something more than pondering or thinking about Jesus. Pentecost demands that we affirm our baptisms, whether we remember them or not, and publicly proclaim Jesus as Lord. This means living out the gospel in everything we do, taking the words of Jesus seriously when he reminded us that the whole gospel message is wrapped up in the promise to love God and our neighbor in all we do.[ii]

This has been the main focus in our Confirmation classes. Faith in Christ is not just knowing about Jesus, it is knowing and trusting Jesus. It is not just about belief, it is about talking the talk and walking the walk. And the Christian journey is not accomplished alone, but in community, with those who will learn and struggle and serve, side by side.

An alternate Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Ezekiel 37 in the story of the valley of the dry bones. In Ezekiel’s dream, the LORD takes Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones and asked him, “Can these bones live?” Like Ezekiel, we answer “No.” But God proves him wrong, and the bones come together as skeletons, soon covered with muscle and flesh and skin. But it wasn’t until God’s breath came like a rushing wind from the four corners of the earth that these bones became alive… a living, breathing army of the LORD.

That is the Pentecost story… God breathes into us eternal life, just like God breathed life into the figure made out of the earth in the Creation story. The wind and fire of Pentecost are not just symbolic of the presence of God in this new Church, but they filled them with life. After that day, no one was the same. Instead of hiding in an upper room waiting to figure out what would happen next, they were propelled by the Spirit to go into the word and proclaim a message that by its very nature could get them killed… that Jesus is Lord, not Caesar, and that the key to a meaningful and fulfilling life is love, not power or wealth or tradition.[iii]

Living in the shadow of Pentecost means that we can’t just sit around and talk about being Jesus followers. We have to do something. And we have to do it together. In our last class, we talked about how life in Christ, being a Christian, is not something that can be easily, and I argue accomplished well if we are not in relationship with other people. Dating myself, I remembered the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks. Do you remember it? Hanks character was a FedEx employee who was stranded alone on an island after the jet he was riding in had a catastrophic failure, crashing into the ocean. He washed ashore with assorted packages, and for some time believed that it was only a matter of time before he would be rescued. But days, months and years passed, and while he was able to make a shelter and find food and water (with great difficulty), it eventually seemed that his real demise would come through loneliness. It was only upon finding a volleyball, which he named Wilson, and conversing with it that he was able to experience community, thus keeping hope alive.

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus speaks to his disciples of his imminent death and their yet unrecognized concerns over what will happen when he’s gone. And here, Jesus promises them an Advocate and Comforter, to be their guide, their interpreter, the fuel of their passion and their courage to speak the truth about justice and righteousness in love. This same Spirit calls us into community.

In our Acts lesson, all of these people have gathered speaking different languages. As Peter spoke, they all understood his message in their own tongues, magnifying the miraculous nature of this encounter. Unity was the word of the day – perhaps the for the first time since the Tower of Babel was raised and the people were scattered to speak different languages and live separate lives. Community has been restored. And with the Spirit propelling them forward, they will become us.

There are many ways to talk about growing in faith. For traditions that baptize infants, confirmation is part of that spiritual journey. Please remember this:

1)    It is not graduation. This is the beginning of a new chapter of faith for these young people. If my Confirmation friends have learned or heard anything helpful, we may not know it until later. Together we have learned about grace, about the sacraments, about spiritual disciples, about the Bible, and about our life together. Our lessons have sowed seeds which will germinate and field a harvest – tomorrow and in the years to come. 

2)    Confirmation is not just about freedom – it is also about responsibility. We spent a lot of time talking about seeing the world through the lens of faith. Where do we see the gospel story being lived out? Where are we being called into that story? Who will be the people that will support us in our mission to be followers of Jesus? What are the tools we need to take that journey together? What kinds of behaviors are expected of us as we see to be the hands and feet and voices of Christ in the world? Those are difficult and life-long questions… ones I hope none of us ever stops asking. 

For many people, the Christian faith is defined by the language of having a personal relationship with Christ. “Are you saved?” ‘Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” “Are you sure if you died tonight that you’d go to heaven?” These are the questions that peppered my youth and young adulthood. I knew Christ. I don’t ever remember not knowing him. I knew that God loved me, just because I’m me. I experienced Jesus in my family life and in church. Family lore relates my displeasure as a 6-year-old at not being allowed to take communion up front with my dad. My mom, the church organist, says she heard me quite clearly yelling as my dad ushered me out of church, “I’m supposed to be at that table… I’m baptized.”

After his retirement, investment fund creator John Templeton wrote several religion/philosophy books on how to incorporate faith into everyday life. In addition to our church lives, each of us has a personal ministry reflected in how we react to our life situations and to the people we encounter every day. If I had one piece of advice to share with our confirmands today, it could come in this 3-step formula.

1)    Recognize those you encounter as friend, not foe. Take time to establish a bond, even if it’s just making eye contact and sharing a smile. If you can, take time to chat and listen to what people are sharing about their own lives. 

2)    Encourage those who need a kind word, who appear to be having a rough day, who need to be uplifted. Think about how good it feels when someone lifts you up and do likewise. And 

3)    Praise those who are doing something/anything of value. Let people know they are making a difference. A sincere thank you goes a long way in changing their attitudes and yours.[iv]

In short, Maya Angelou is right… “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” 

I think that Pentecost is a most spectacular day to share in the culmination of our confirmation studies. As we celebrate the end of this Confirmation preparation journey, these young people who were baptized as infants or young children have come to make a public profession of faith, taking responsibility for the promises that were made on their behalf. It is not so much a completion of baptism as it is a celebration of the enduring and eternal influence that baptism has over our lives. In baptism, God is the primary actor. And our response is to reaffirm the promises that God has made to us, and the promises that our parents, churches, and eventually we make to God and one another. That can happened at many significant times in our lives… I’ve lost count for myself, but treasure every opportunity to say, “Yes, God, I’m here, send me.”

Because we are not a local church, nor do we represent a single denomination, we are not having an official confirmation, although I believe them to be prepared. But we are asking these young people to stand before you and God to proclaim their intention to live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus.

Peace, Deb

Congratulaions to our 11 Confirmands and best wishes for a fruitful discipleship journey ahead!

---

[i] Walter Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, p. 347

[ii] Robb McCoy and Eric Pfister, Pulpit Fiction, Pentecost B, May 20, 2018, www.pulpitfiction.us

[iii] John Holbert, We Rattling Bones, May 15, 2015, http://www.patheos.com/progressive-christian/2015/05/we-rattling-bones-john-c-holbert-05-15-2015.aspx?p=2

[iv] Tom Rapsas, People Will Remember How You Make Them Feel, May 16, 2018, Wake Up Call: Insights and Musing to Stir Your Soul, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wakeupcall/2018/05/people-will-remember-how-you-made-them-feel/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Best+of+Patheos&utm_content=57

Workshop: How to Give a Devotion or Testimony in 5 minutes or less

In February 2018, I gave a workshop for the Stuttgart PWOC on how to give a devotion. People were sharing good things, but often they were too long, or it was too hard to get someone to say yes. So when asked, I said yes, and put together this presentation, which took up about 40 minutes, including "question and answer" time. I have amplified my notes and slides to recreate what we experienced that day. I hope you find it helpful. 
=========================================================
A couple of years ago, I went home to visit my parents and my dad asked me to make him a good German supper. “What’s your pleasure?” I asked. “Bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad,” he replied. “I can do that,” I replied and off I went to gather the required ingredients. I went to a local German deli and picked up some homemade sausages, dug into the cabinet for a can of sauerkraut I had sent for Christmas, and boiled up some new potatoes to make the recipe taught to me by my German neighbor. When I put the dishes on the table, my dad looked at the bowl of potato salad and asked, “What’s that?” “German potato salad,” I replied. “That’s not potato salad! Where’s the mayonnaise and eggs and bacon?”” He said. “Well, don’t tell my friend, Sandra, who spent a lot of time making sure I got this just right.” When we finished eating, I asked him how it was. His reply – “It was good, just not what I was expecting.”

All of this is to say that the content of this workshop is mine alone, curated over the last 35 years of giving devotions, testimonies and sermons, warts and all. It may not be what you're expecting, but I hope you enjoy it just the same.

PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) offers women in the military community a place to grow in faith in Jesus Christ and in faith with one another. Bible study is a large part of that journey. Program days and retreats are also an important party of our PWOC experience and we are very thankful for those who plan for these occasional opportunities for learning and fellowship. Outside of those events and our weekly bible studies, our morning fellowship devotions are a very personal way that the gospel message gets transmitted among us. We are always happy for those who are willing to share. 

Think about these questions:
How many of you have been asked to give a devotion at PWOC or some other event? How many of you have said yes? 
What convinced you to say yes? What keeps you from agreeing to take on this challenge? 

Please don't feel alone if you don't know how to start planning to give a devotion… I often feel that way. Also, don't feel bad if you did it and felt like it went off the rails somewhere along the way. It happens to all of us, even those of us who have done it for a long time. 

I’m willing to guess that these are the questions that you all have when beginning the process of preparing a devotion: Do I pick my scripture first and then share a personal experience to go with it? Or do I think of something I want to share about my life and then choose a scripture to fit the story? That is usually where most people start. But I'm going to ask you think about this process in a new way. And that will begin with some definitions – my definitions of devotion, testimony, and sermon.

A Devotion is a story that describes an experience of the presence of God or gives a model of discipleship or faith journeys. The key goal is Inspiration. In a devotion, we are often asking people to see how God is experienced in the world.

A Testimony is a story that tells of your personal experience of God, with the additional purpose of converting marginal Christians or unbelievers and encouraging those who already believe. 

Lastly, a Sermon is a manner of examining scripture to impart biblical knowledge and/or inform Christian Discipleship. It is usually given in a worship setting, complete with scripture readings, hymns and other elements. This is a much more intricate and in-depth process and not the expected length or scope for a devotion or testimony. 

Here are some things to remember as you prepare for to give a devotion or testimony.
• We have very short attention spans – usually about 5 minutes unless we are prepared to concentrate longer. One typewritten page is usually more than 5 minutes
• Devotion time is like a warm up to the day – opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit as we prepare for class and the community that we share there.
• Preparing for something short is harder than preparing something long

• Think about stories you’ve heard or seen, something you’ve read, someone you know and tell the part of the story that inspires you.
• Think about the scriptures you know best - Stories Jesus told, stories about Jesus or lessons from characters in the bible.

• The best devotions come when we pay attention to what’s going on around us and see God present in all the experiences of our lives, not just the overtly religious ones
• It helps to think of your faith story in snapshots or video clips
• Ask yourself these questions: How do I see God working in my life? What changes did or will I make because of this encounter with God? How am I encourage to stay the course and keep the faith?

• Choose scriptures wisely - Make sure they mean what you think they mean. It’s better to choose a few scriptures that you study well, instead of making a scripture fit inappropriately. 
• Stay away from platitudes. They often do more harm than good.

• AND It is also perfectly acceptable to read a prepared devotion that was meaningful to you if you prefer not to share something that you write yourself.

I’ve been doing this a long time, so I’m pretty accomplished at the 5-minute devotion, which some people in my family call, “the blessing.” I like to think it’s not because I’m super holy, because I am not! But I do try to be intentional about seeing God and Jesus and examples of the Kingdom of God in the things I read, the shows and movies I watch and the places I go. 

Here's an example of a devotion, using the criteria previously discussed:

Nathan Chen, Olympic skater, had a disappointing short program in the 2018 Winter Olympic games. He was the favorite of many commentators, and when he fell in the short program, lots of people were heard saying that he didn't live up to his hype as the most balanced male skater for both athleticism and elegance. His preliminary skate was so flawed that he barely made the finals of the men’s competition, which placed him at a significant disadvantage in the finals, making him one of the first skaters of the night. And in that brief 5 minutes, he skated one of the most beautiful programs eve, landing 6 quadruple jumps, a new Olympic record, and the 3rd highest score for a long program in competition history. Her finished 5th overall, but in the end he said that he had to go out there and give it everything he had, for his teammate and the love of skating, and because that's everything he had been training for.

And as i was watching this story unfold, i got this glimpse of how this is like a life of faith. We want to live perfectly, but we make so many mistakes along the way. Instead of giving up, we are called to get back up and start fresh every day. In Paul's letter to the Hebrews, he wrote:

So then let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 CEB

So, if you fall, get up. And give it all you’ve got. There is joy ahead of you, if you will only keep running toward it. Amen.

Discussion: I often see the God-life in the things I see on TV or in the movies. I don’t think that something has to be explicitly religious or Christian to have great spiritual value. This kind of discernment comes with practice. Religious people are quick to say that the media industry has worked hard to keep religion out of what we see and hear. But I don’t find that to be true. Some of my favorite books/movies/plays with strong religious themes are Wonder, Les Misérables and The Greatest Showman, recently released on DVD. I could do a whole season of devotions from just those three works. God, faith and discipleship literally drip from the words on the page and the songs. If you begin to look, I think you’ll be surprised at the places where God shows up, even when you least expect it. These insights are a great way to remind people of how God is all around.

Here is an example of my testimony (I have many different permutations of this, filed by decade!):

I’ve been a Christian my whole life – I don’t remember a time not knowing who Jesus is and why I need him in my life. And I was raised as a High-Church United Methodist, so the idea of preparing a testimony was really foreign to me until I got to college, where I met a lot of people who asked me the question, “Are you saved?”, which was also a new concept. At first that question really turned me off, but gradually I came to appreciate the opportunity to share how I met Jesus at every step along the way. There were lots of times when I didn’t think I needed God, or that he had taken a break from me. But eventually I realized that he doesn’t do that, ever, and preparing multiple short testimonies has helped me break my crazy, complicated story into manageable pieces. 

The story of my call to ministry is interesting to me and travels a very winding road. But now in my late 50’s I realize that I’d rather talk about the ways that God is still working through me. And as I prepared for PCS season 11 times and my husband’s retirement from the AF last year, I realized that my signature story is in the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:3-9) 

I went into the ministry confident that I would pastor churches in SC and follow a traditional model, like most of my friends. But 11 PCS’s, pastoring 4 congregations in 4 different states, and volunteering in 3 chapels and 5 local churches later, I realize that while I may not see the harvest in most of the places I serve, my call is to be a faithful sower, sharing the good news about Jesus, and modeling a life a faith wherever I go. 

When I was in SC recently, I went to a retreat planned and executed by a woman who was a 7th grader in my first pastorate. As a 7th grader, she did this cool thing at a worship service… she interpreted 1 Cor 13 in personal language, saying, “When I a child, I did childish things, but now I am a woman” … I knew that she got it. And it was something that has bound us together for over 25 years. As the weekend retreat was winding down, I realized that her vision had touched 50 people in a way they would never forget. And as we closed, she gave kudos to her team and then said, but none of this would have been possible without Pastor Deb, who keeps telling me that God will use me if I will just let him. Humbled and blubbering, I realized that while I don’t really remember saying that to her, the ways that I talked and preached and lived over the years made an impression that lasted and inspired, long after I was gone. 

My prayer every day is this: Lord, give me the courage to live faithfully every day, sowing the seeds of your love and grace in all that I say and all that I do.  Amen

Discussion: I find that one of the ways that I am prepared to share devotions and testimonies is that I write them down. For instance, I know that a 5-minute devotion will take up one, single-spaced, typed page. To begin, I write topics in a journal, then fill those pages with quotations, memories and scriptures. Eventually, they will make their way into to a devotion, testimony, or sermon. For me, the process of producing this kind of utterance often starts long before I am even asked to speak. It has become a part of my spiritual discipline and serves me well along the way. 

There is much to learn and much to share. I encourage you to begin the journey of preparing in advance for a word of faith and hope. I promise it will be time well spent.

Peace, Deb

© Deb Luther Teagan, Feb 2018, Stuttgart, Germany