Presenting Jesus

This piece is titled Anna the Prophetess, by Louis S. Glanzman. Isn't it wonderful? Anna gets very little press unless The Presentation of Our Lord falls on a Sunday or you use her story at Christmas time. I forget sometimes that she was 84 years old and that she had spent the majority of her time praying and waiting for Jesus to come. And then he was there! How excited she must have been. How stunned Mary and Joseph must have been. Luke uses words like "ponder" to describe Mary's experiences, but it seems a bit tame. Ponder! I might ponder what to make for dinner. I might ponder what movie to go to. But this kind of news?!? Ponder just doesn't cut it. To know that my Redeemer is present? A redeemer is your next of kin who is obliged to be your "get out of jail free" card. A redeemer is the person you can call when nobody else will answer. A redeemer is going to save your bacon! Mary and Joseph must have been totally amazed. First Simeon meets them and then Anna. Fantastic day at the temple!

President Skippy and Stale Ice Cream

I thought about watching the State of the Union address last night but I was too tired. So I had a little nightcap and off to bed I went.

This morning as I listened to NPR, they broke it all down for me and as I listened I became perturbed. It seems to me that listening to the speech is kind of like buying an ice cream bar from the 7-11. It looks good. The packaging is intact. You take the ice cream out of the wrapper and the chocolate seems to be fresh. But then you bite into it and you realize the ice cream is stale.

So much of what the President said seemed palatable, but then as you dig into it, you find that it's not quite what it seems.

Only a fifth of our petroleum imports come from the Middle East. A great percentage comes from crazy places like.... Canada!

The biggest cutback in petrol usage in the last few decades came not from using something different but from using less oil. It was a result in improvements to automobiles. It was a technological improvement, not a change in fuel.

And don't ask me about the whole war thing. Or whether we could have stopped 9/11 by spying on our neighbors.

And the budget numbers GW crunched that sound so positive? Didn't include expenditures for the war or aid for Katrina victims.

Stale ice cream. The only reason you eat it is because there's nothing else available.

Jesus in Capernaum - A Question of Authority

Last week, I blogged about a comment made on NPR. A woman said she trusted George Bush because he was a Christian. It made me crazy and I blogged. (See "Do you trust the President? Why") Thanks to Pounding Softly's comments on that post, I found myself rewriting my sermon this morning.

I was going to go a safer quieter route, but why? What's the fun of being the supply preacher if you can't just say what you think?

So here's the end of today's sermon...

In our world today there are so many people who claim to be speaking for God. Their proclamations are in the news and on the bookshelves. Magazines and television reports are filled with people saying this is what God wants. The most notable recent example being Pat Robertson and his claim that the people of Dover, Pennsylvania should not be surprised if God sent a natural disaster for the stand taken by their Board of Education.

The trouble is, we are left with the difficult task of discerning who is really speaking the authoritative word of God. And our discernment cannot just be based on whether or not we agree with the person making the proclamation. Pat Robertson and I have very different political views, but that doesn't mean that he is always wrong and I am always right.

We need to listen carefully and watch closely. The phrase “What would Jesus do?” has become greatly overused. But it is not a bad idea to measure the things we hear against that phrase. Jesus’ ministry was about love and forgiveness. He could be painfully direct in challenging people. But it was because he was constantly working for justice for all of God’s children- not just a chosen few.

So if the words that we are hearing do not call us to live out that same kind of loving justice- it might be good to be more than a bit skeptical about the person who’s preaching to us.

We need to measure the news against the truth that the Lord has promised to be with us always. No matter what. There is no place where his love cannot surround us with care and comfort. Would the God we know really punish Ariel Sharon for his stance on the Gaza strip? Is that what Jesus would do?

We need to challenge those who claim to speak on behalf of God with the truth that Jesus’ activities demonstrated a concern for the whole world. Ours is a Lord who teaches that anyone in need is my neighbor- not just the people in close proximity.

At times we may think that we want an authoritative Lord who would lay out all the rules for every situation. "Wouldn't it be great if Jesus had just talked to the disciples about this?" It would be much easier for us to know what to do. But what we have is a God who in all his power has made our welfare his chief concern. And he chooses to use his authority to work out our forgiveness and salvation. Because he loves us he calls us to be a part of his kingdom. Because he loves us, he invited the whole world to be embraced with his grace.
And we honor his power and we respond to his authority when we act with that same kind of care and that same kind of love.

I don’t know what Jesus said that day at the synagogue, but I have to believe it was a message of love. A powerful message of love. And I gladly bow to his authority.

Rev Gal Friday Five

It's all about books this week....

If you received books as holiday presents, how many and what were they? No books as gifts which is kind of sad.

Did you buy any for yourself, and if so what are the titles? I did buy some books recently: The Secret Life of Bees; Listen! God is Calling; The Blacker the Berry; Shopgirl.

Have you read any of them yet? What’s next on your list? I've read Bees and Shopgirl. Haven't started Wallace Thurman's "Blacker the Berry" yet. It was published in 1929 and it's the first American novel to ever address the issue of racism within the black community. I'm mostly done with "Listen! God is Calling."
Do you have a favorite place to read a new book? And does the weather have an impact on that choice? My favorite place to read is a room where no one else is lurking. Sometimes that's the living room on the couch. Sometimes it's my room.

Does reading in bed make you sleepy? Not really. Sometimes it keeps me up. If I get really involved with a plot twist, I may stay up way past my bedtime. On the other hand, non-fiction almost always puts me to sleep and gives me strange dreams.

Do You Trust This Man? 

Do you trust the President? Why?

This afternoon (1/26) I was driving home listening to NPR's "All Things Considered." They were discussing the President's stance on tapping phones to prevent terrorism- without a warrant. As a means of gauging the nation's debate on the topic, they went to Lincoln, Nebraska home of The Cornhuskers.

The first woman they interviewed said she was okay with the eavesdropping given the events of 9/11. And she said she trusted the President because he was a Christian.

I screamed. It was good that I was alone in my car!

Have we learned nothing? There are plenty of law breaking, untrustworthy Christians out in the world. How is it that President Skippy gets a wave from this woman simply because he is a Christian? Am I being too cynical? Too liberal? Acckkkk!

Would she trust him less if he was a Muslim or a Buddhist or a Jew? Still faithful. Still devout, but not Christian? What if he was a pacifistic athiest?

I would trust him more if I thought he had a just a few more lights on in the attic.

The 25 Question Meme

Borrowed from LutheranChik and others

1) When you looked in the mirror first thing this morning, what was the first thing you thought? Oh good, the zit is going away.

2) How much cash do you have on you? Ten bucks and some pennies.

3) What's a word that rhymes with TEST? Zest

4) Planet? Can it? I don't get this question. But I haven't had enough caffeine yet, either.

5) Who is the fourth person on your missed calls? My daughter. It's always my daughter.

6) What is your favourite ring on your phone? Some piece of music by Grieg. Nobody else ever picks it.

7) What shirt are you wearing? Black pullover sweater

8) What do you label youself as? Child of God. I like it better than wife, mother, pastor, liberal, democrat, Lutheran, etc.

9) Name the brand of shoes you've recently worn.
Merrell clogs

10) Bright room or dark room?
Light, but not in my face.

11) What were you doing at midnight last night?
Just starting the REM pattern after telling myself stories and listening to that weird noise my husband makes in his sleep.

12) What did the last text message on your phone say?
It was probably my daughter telling me to call her. She's the only one who text messages me.

13) Where is your nearest 7-11? About two miles away. But the "Wawa" is much closer and has better stuff.

14) What's a saying you say a lot? Cool.

15) Who told you they loved you last?
My husband.

16) Last furry thing you touched?
The cat. Didn't actually touch him, I tripped over him. He stalks me in the morning and I don't always see him.

17) How many drugs have you done in the past three days? Three. All legally obtained- even the Sudafed.

18) How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? There are probably two or three rolls buried in a box down in the basement somewhere. My husband will eventually find them, develop them and wonder who the people in the pictures are.

19) Favorite age you've been so far? Now is shaping up okay. 45

20) Your worst enemy? My expectations for myself.

21) What is your current desktop picture? My daughter in a subway station in Manhattan.

22) What was the last thing you said to someone? Do you need any help with that.

23) If you had to choose between a millions bucks and being able to fly, which would you choose? I'm afraid of heights. I think I'd take the money.

24) Do you like someone? This reminds me of junior high note passing. Today, yes, I like and love my husband. Last week, it was a little iffy a couple of times on the whole like thing.

25) The last song you listened to? Part of a Barbershop Quartet CD my husband left in the car. I immediately went to NPR.

I don't understand "American Idol".

My family is watching "American Idol." In my husband's defense, he's also doing some paperwork but still, he can hear it! They're in the preliminary phase of the show where every other person cannot sing. But still my daughter is attentive.

It feels embarrassing to watch these people. Why do some people enjoy watching others make fools of themselves? It seems so cruel. So unnecessary. Aren't there good stories out there that we could tell? Aren't there talented people who might actually be entertaining?

What is it about our culture that we create programs like this? Somehow it feels akin to "Punch and Judy" shows and the Three Stooges. I never liked those either. Or "America's Funniest Home Videos." They're not funny, just cruel.

A Sermon about Forgiveness

I have a new therapist. Breaking in a new therapist is always an interesting experience. Some of them just ask questions, keeping any kind of personal info to a minimum. My last therapist was that type. I left her office knowing nothing more than her credentials and her taste in decor.

This new guy is different. When I have an appointment it's not all about me. And that's okay too. It's a technique I've used myself more than once. But today he asked a curious question at the end of our session, "Have you ever written a sermon about forgiveness?" I wasn't quite sure how to answer, except to say "Yes."

My new doctor is in his 60's. A nice Jewish fellow who serves on the board of his temple. He's been a therapist for a good long time. And I am so very fascinated by his question. Was it really about his desire to understand more about forgivness? Or was this a question about me?

He said he might like to read one of my sermons on forgiveness as it is something he has to help people with now and again. I'm not sure which one I want to give him. But maybe some of this would do. I wrote it in September of 2001.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote:“I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, no anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

Our calling today is to love in that same way. To love without limits. To love without hesitancy. That’s the best weapon we have against the terror that has been unleashed upon us.

We are called to welcome the stranger and the wanderer in our midst. We are called to share our bread, our life and our love with all who are in need. So that there are no hidden places. No lost coins. No missing sheep.

Our calling is to live like Jesus. We are to bear witness to the world that our faith makes a difference. It affects the way that we treat others.

We must be clear in showing the world that the love of Christ is extended to all people. That’s how we will demonstrate the difference that faith makes. We can be “a light to the nations.” If we live the love of Christ. If we follow Jesus.

In these difficult times, we are called to be a people of hope. A people of loving actions. A people of prayer. A people of thoughtful and faithful discussion. And a people who are committed to working towards healing and forgiveness.

My dear brothers and sisters, we have a choice. We can live in terror and let our grief rule our heads and our hearts - or we can follow Jesus.

When he wrote to his friends in Corinth, Paul put it like this, “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

One reporter this week said that “courage is fear that has said it’s prayers.” And so I would commend you to be faithful in your calling. Be diligent in your prayers. Keep hope alive in your heart. Knowing that the love of God goes with you always. May we go forth from this place today, following Jesus.

The Customer Service Sucked!

Saturday night my parents were here and we wanted to go have some good German food. After consulting with friends and surfing the net, we made a reservation. (I won't tell you where. Just know we won't go back.) We were a bit early but they seated us immediately. Fifteen minutes later, we were still hoping for human contact and some menus.

When we stopped a waitress, she sent over the hostess who looked totally confused when my father asked if they were short staffed. She promised to send some one to wait on us and left some menus. Ten minutes later we left.

On the way out the door, I asked to see the manager. The waitress I had spoken to looked confused. "Your boss. I want to talk to your boss." Unfortunately, she sent the hostess over again. She thought probably it was maybe her fault that we hadn't been waited on. She thought that maybe she had made a mistake. No real apology- just more confused looks.

We went down the street and found a noisy Irish Pub- Fergie's Pub in downtown Philly. Good beer. Great service. Loud music. Very authentic looking. Shepherd's Pie was pretty tasty. And the waitress got a 40% tip from my very content father. (He and my mother also offered to adopt her.)

So whatever happened to apologizing when you make a mistake? Whatever happened to doing something that's not in your job description so that the business succeeds?

Ack!!!!

Meme - rhymes with theme

Thanks Zephyr man for passing on an interesting set of questions.

[The photo is one of the four places I'd rather be. My parents' backyard in Colorado.]

Four Jobs You've Had: 1]Avon Lady; 2]Parish Pastor; 3]Personal Assistant (housework, clerical, driving- all for $6 an hour) for a retired University of Chicago Econ prof and his wife; 4] 1/3 of the LSTC's Dean of Faculty Secretary - (He's retired now. No names please. What a guy! "Don't disturb me for twenty minutes. I'll be doing my somnistics." Yep! Taking a nap!)

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over: 1] "The Philadelphia Story" (Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, what more need I say!); 2] "Corrina, Corrina" (I know it's a Whoopy Goldberg movie, but there's something about the story and her chemistry with Ray Liota and the little girl that gets me every time.); 3] "The Shop Around the Corner" - ("You've Got Mail" was a cute little flick but it has nothing on the original!); 4] "Charade" - (Much better than the remake of a couple of years ago.)

Four Places You've Lived: 1] A garage apartment- four small rooms above a two car garage- across the street from the old married student's housing at LTSS in Columbia, SC; 2] Ava, Missouri- home of the Missouri Fox Trotter's Association and the county seat of a county known by others in the area as "Booger County". I never learned why they call it that. 3] Boulder, Colorado; 4] Canoga Park, California- I was a "Valley Girl" before they had Valley Girls.

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch: 1] "Charmed" - It's a guilty pleasure; 2] "The Gilmore Girls" - Don't feel quite as guilty about this one. My dad even likes "The Gilmore Girls!"; 3] Old movies - The best reason to have Tivo is so that you can record old movies at 3:00am and watch them at a decent hour; 4] "Sunday Morning" on CBS - Now that I am not serving in a parish, I can actually watch this show before church. It's smart. I like it.

Four Places You've Been on Vacation: 1] Paris - We stayed in a totally cool hotel decorated in "20th century Parisian Garage Sale." Nothing matched but it was wonderful; 2] Summit County, Colorado when the snow was great! 3] Delawanna Resort 90 minutes northwest of Toronto - It's a little like the resort in "Dirty Dancing" without the dancing. 4] New York City with my daughter. We stayed at the Seaman's Institute. A great bargain and if you're Lutheran clergy they give you a 10% discount.

Four Websites You Visit Daily: 1] My company intranet site; 2] AOL to get my mail.... that's about it for daily visits.

Four of Your Favorite Foods: 1] Baskin and Robbins Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream; Chocolate; 2] My mother's Cornish pasty; 3] Good bread with real butter; 4] A good steak.

Four Places You'd Rather Be Right Now: 1] Bed - It's the first thing that came to mind; 2] Paris; 3] The hammock in my parent's backyard in the Colorado mountains when the temperature is above 60 degrees; 4] Drinking beer and eating chips at some Mexican joint with my best friend from Chicago.

The secret life of kids

Today my kid got a spew of instant messages from a "friend" at school. They weren't nice. It was the kind of thing that junior high girls have been doing to each other since the week after they invented junior high girls. But it stinks!

And somehow, it's worse when it comes into your house over the computer. Unless you block the offender, you're going to get a spate of unsolicited crap. And when you're a junior high girl, friendships are very mercurial. So one day you're best buds and the next day you're being addressed in a manner quite PG-13.

I remember suddenly realizing when my daughter was about 4, that she had a secret life that I knew nothing about. While she was at daycare she was making friends with other people that I had never met. She was having conversations and adventures that never quite got reported. Which is good. Children need to develop autonomy. It's part of growing up. But now, as she is approaching the teen years, I flip flop between wanting to know nothing about the secret life and wanting to know everything so that I might protect her.

Junior high girls are mean. And when someone is mean to my kid, I wish I could make it stop. And then I wonder, is she being mean to someone else's kid? I hope not. I hope the kid that I know is the same one that's going to school and sending instant messages and hanging out with her friends.

I will try not to embarrass my daughter.

This morning I told my twelve year old that I had started a blog. She seemed intrigued. After all, blogging seems more like something she would do...

"What's the blog about?" I knew I was in trouble.
"Well, I did write something about you." With that I received the pre-teenager eye roll. I knew I shouldn't have. After all, I promised to always warn her before I talk about her in a sermon. And now I was just willy-nilly sending things about HER out into the ethernet.

"It's anonymous. My name's not on it."
"Oh, what else is it about, Mom?"
"Religion."
"Oh. That's always good."

So I guess she'd prefer I limit myself to things theological but it ain't gonna happen!

Epiphany 3

Mark 1:14-20
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

When I was younger, I always wondered why Peter and the boys would drop everything to follow Jesus. How could they abandon their nets, their jobs, their father!?! They didn't know Jesus was going to turn out to be such a big deal. (And maybe if they had they might have stayed home.....) The thing is, we miss so much when we look at the fishermen's call from this perspective. In Jesus' time discipleship was a formal relationship. With a formal call "to follow me." Calls were issued to young men who had been groomed from early childhood. Disciples were the best of the best. The cream of the crop. They were the kids who got A's in Hebrew School. The kids who really knew their Torah frontwards and backwards- quite literally.

But Jesus called these fishermen! They hadn't been their rabbi's shining light when they were kids. If anyone had ever thought they might make it as disciples, their lives would have been remarkably different. And yet Jesus chose them. Not the brightest. Not the best. Not the guys with the fancy degrees or the fine education. But Jesus chose them. "Come, follow me."

Mommy, come tuck me in!

Why is it that I am the only one who can "tuck in" my twelve year old? And it's not like I actually tuck the child in. It's a quick peck and a lowering of the tv volume and shutting off the lights. I tuck nothing! The blankets are loose!

I suppose I will miss the ritual some day when my presence is no longer requested. But then again, maybe not. She bellers from upstairs and I am to come running. It was one thing when she was trapped in a crib. But she's twelve!

She insists that she sleeps better if I tuck her in. So I guess while I still have this magical power, I should make the most of it. And maybe, we'd all sleep better if we knew that when we yelled, someone would drop everything to come and give us a good night kiss.

Why blog?

I asked a friend to explain to me why I would want to have a blog. He replied with this- "It's a place to vent and rant and say what you want semi-anonymously. I have too many opinions. One day my wife told me I needed to get a blog."

So here I am. My spouse isn't sure what a blog is. But sometimes it's nice to just write out one's thoughts and let them sail.