Preparing for the Journey

Here's the article I wrote for October's Newsletter. I posted it here for discussions or comments.

“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18

Journey: Greek, Apodemeo: to go away into foreign parts, go abroad.

       There have been some recent studies* that have attempted to understand what makes people happy. Certainly, happiness is a basic human desire and most of us want happiness for ourselves and our loved ones.
       To summarize the findings of these studies, they have found that happiness generally results from:

1. Intimate (face-to-face) relationships with family and friends;
2. Meaningful work
3. Positive thinking; avoiding comparing oneself with others and tending to expect the best;
4. Gratitude;
5. Forgiveness;
6. Giving to others;
7. Religion;
8. Personal freedom;
9. Good health;
10. Watching TV (not excessive, but a little is not only harmless, but may be good for us).

       As I read this list and similar lists like it, I can’t help but be struck by the way by which our society and culture often seems to interfere with these basic means of achieving happiness. Indeed, as you look down this list of ‘happiness-producing’ characteristics, it may strike you, too, that our world often drives us toward quite contradictory attitudes or activities. No wonder that Jesus said that while his disciples are in the world, we are advised to be no part of it. (John 17:9-23).
       Perhaps one way to think of what Jesus meant when he said that we are “no part of the world,” is that his disciples should be cautious of those things, while they may be enticing, may actually interfere with finding true happiness (John 10:10, re: the abundant life). Instead, through understanding God’s will for us and for the whole of creation, we can be wary of attempts to pull us away from experiencing deep levels of happiness, contentment and meaning in life.
       In some ways, living as a disciple of Jesus Christ is much like taking a journey to a distant land. This doesn’t mean some kind of a physical move to some new land, but it is about living in a new way, with new attitudes and engagements. It is to learn that loving God, ourselves, and others is the underlying basis for fulfillment in our lives and then to begin living that way.
       Some time ago, we began an approach in church of intentionally considering our own lives as spiritual journeys. In the coming weeks you will hear of ways in which you can further pursue your own spiritual journey. We are all called to the work of individual and community transformation of ourselves so as to reflect the glory of our Lord, finding real happiness and joy in our lives.

*Contact me if you'd like links to the source material I used

Worship ... again!

“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24, 25 New Revised Standard Version of the Bible

I wish that I had a dollar for every book about church “revitalization” that’s available for purchase. There must be a million of them. From Rick Warren’s “Purpose-Driven Church” to “I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church!” by Paul Nixon (actually, one of my favorites) to Gay Reese’s currently popular “Unbinding the Gospel” series, they fill the bookshelves of both brick-and-mortar Christian stores and their online, virtual counterparts.
While I have benefited from reading many of these books, and will no doubt continue to do so, there is a certain frustration that comes from reading all of this. It sometimes feels like I’m on this never-ending search to find the right “formula” for how to energize our church so that we not only satisfy the “Worship wants” of long-time attenders as well as to create worship that appeals to people who rarely, if ever, entered into a church before!
One author asserts the claim that ONLY contemporary worship services will allow for a church to grow, and more than that, is vitally important if we are just going to keep the church doors open! At the same time, another author states categorically that what people are REALLY longing for is worship firmly rooted in the ancient worship practices of the early church and that if we’d purchase some incense and candles and start chanting our attendance would grow exponentially. Another church revitalization “expert” says that the largest growing demographic (just slightly above 20-somethings) is seniors above age 65, so traditional worship as we’ve been doing it since the 1960’s is just where we ought to stay and we really only need to stick to what we know and hang on until the “storm” is over. What’s a pastor to do?
Recently, as I watched an NFL game on TV, one of the commentators made the inevitable and somewhat trite suggestion that what a particular team needed to do was to “get back to the basics.” However, as I’ve thought about that comment, I’ve been drawn to the consideration of just what the “basics” are when it comes to Christian worship. Are churches, especially in view of the continuing decline of attendance and participation in “church” as a whole, gotten so wrapped up in developing a sophisticated “playbook” that we’ve forgotten the basics? Is that why “church” attendance across the religious spectrum in a continual decline year after year?
I don’t mean to say that we should stop thinking about the cultural context in which we have to exist as church, with the concomitant realities of what it takes to reach people today with the gospel. And, I’ll continue to plunk down some shillings for some of the latest church “growth” books. However, aren’t the basics of Christian worship really rather simple? Have we put too many “layers” on what we are called to do and be as church?
The verse from the letter to the Hebrews, quoted in the opening lines of this article, basically says that we should gather in order to provoke [Greek: Paroxusmos], which can be translated as, stimulate or incite; which means to stir, encourage, or urge on; prompt to action. In other words, we should regularly gather together to stimulate and encourage one another to love; to love God with everything we are and have, to love ourselves in a self-nurturing God-like way, and to love others to the same extent that we show proper love to ourselves.
How we do all of that is clearly going to be influenced by our faith tradition and the culture in which we live as filtered through our own life experiences. But, could it be that we have put too much into what constitutes or makes up what we want worship to be? Do we put on too many layers on top of the basics? Have we complicated the “playbook” so that we lose or forget those basics? What do YOU think about our worship? Are we keeping focused on the basics, or have we spent too much time on non-essentials? And how do we worship in view of the realities of living in our culture in our particular time in history? How do we “speak” the language of the gospels in such a way that they can be understood in today’s world?
These are all important questions that we must ask ourselves as disciples of the source of good news, Jesus Christ. What do you think? If you’d like to respond to this article, please do so. I’d love to hear from you.

A Movement For Wholeness - Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

GO FORTH

Finally, home. Readers of this blog know how much I have enjoyed my trip to Italy on various levels. Certainly, the "pleasure" part of it has been the food, the weather, the food, and the culture of modern Italy that exists in the midst of one of the oldest histories of modern civilizations. Oh, and did I mention the food?

However, there comes a time when one must go home again. The time has come and I am pleased to be able to enter again into the rhythm and flows of my "regular" life as a father, husband, son, pastor and friend. But, I have discovered over the years of my life, the real "heart and soul" of an experience is what one does with that experience. Are there transformative elements of an experience? How does an experience, this particular experience, hold within it opportunities to deepen my appreciation of life and, especially, my life as person of faith continually in search of faith.

One way by which I have found that a learning experience can be enhanced is by sharing that which I have learned. So, in the next few weeks I hope to announce a study series on Christianity. This will cover the history of the Christian church, theology and worldview.

While Christianity emerges from Judaism, its emergence and formation were clearly within a Roman world. I hope that my recent trip to Rome will enhance my presentation of the history of Christianity. As I have done with Islam, this study will no doubt involve, on some level, at least, material from the Teaching Company's Great Religions series.

Please "Stay Tuned" for further information.

Blessings,

Don

I'll be home tomorrow night and I can't wait. We're leaving at 6:30 a.m. for the airport. So, it looks like it will still be about 11:00 p.m. when I get home as I'll be flying into Philadelphia, then Charlotte before back in Indy.

Today, we went to Florence to see the Duomo (Cathedral), which is huge and the Baptisty, also huge and quite opulent; gold ceilings and priceless artwork. Then we walked around Florence and ate. We took the Eurotrain, which travels at speeds in excess of 100 to 150 miles per hour.

I can see why people want to come here to Italy and even to live here. We met an American who found an apartment last night and is going to move here in May. He's been a recruiter for American soccer teams but is going to be working for a tour company in Rome.

The city is relatively safe and while the traffic seems initially to be chaotic, it's pretty safe and even speeding cars and motorscooters are very courteous to pedestrians. We have not been brave enough to rent a motorscooter, however. Although the Sedgeway scooters do look like fun.

I understand that Mary Jane has come back from the Stephen Ministry training ready to lead us into this important ministry. Also, I've heard that Dan did a great job with his sermon. I look forward to hearing more and seeing you all "face-to-face" in an interchange of encouragement, as the Apostle Paul once wrote.

Today was a day of relaxation. Those of you who have been to Rome could probably tell that we were "on the move" at a pretty brisk (grueling) pace these last few days. It finally caught up with us today and we decided to pull back just a little.

I, along with two of my companions, spent the day strolling leisurely, as opposed to breakneck speedwalking, through some of the streets of Rome. The Old World charm is wonderful and the eating experience continues to be incredible. I'm a real seafood eater and I've enjoyed some incredible seafood dishes here. It seems that we cannot find a bad restaurant.

All of us met up for conversation in the hotel lobby and then on to an amazing dinner. Each of us have been considering how this experience and the things we have learned can be assimilated into our lives as Christians and as clergy. I do not believe that anyone of us has failed to be challenged by our time here.

There are so many images of these last few days that are indelibly marked into my memory. As I was walking along on the walls of the Vatican, which is a veritable storehouse of precious art and unbelievable wealth, we were struck by the appearance of two beggars on the sidewalk. One, a man clearly stricken with horrible physical deformities and the other, a woman completely bent over at her waist and unable to walk upright. They were begging for spare change within mere feet of such incredible wealth and prosperity. While there is a claim by the church to be the visible representative of the Kingdom of God on earth, there was no one to extend a hand of aid to these people.

I wonder, how do I live out my claim to represent God in the world? What do I ignore? What are my failings, both by commission and by omission? And the church? How is the church, the universal church of Christ's followers throughout the world, culpable of misrepresentation?

I am finding that confronting the choices I've made moves me to continue in my struggle to live the life that God would have me live.

May the whole church live and grow in the image of our Creator in grace and love.

Don

ANCIENT TOMBS

Went to visit Etruscan tombs today in Orvieto, about 1 and 1/2 hour south of Rome by train. These are pre-Roman tombs just outside of the city, which is a walled city built by the Etruscans. Interestingly, the tombs are laid out just as was common during Roman times and are almost exactly like the tomb of Christ. It was quite fascinating to enter them and get a feel for what it was like in those early centuries.

There is also a fabulous Duomo (Cathedral) with incredible design features which words fail to properly describe. I will be able to show many of the photos I took in the near future. I believe that a study of the history of the church would be very beneficial to our expanding appreciation of what Christ would have his church be and become and I hope that my experiences in Rome and the surrounding countryside will add to this. I have learned so much in this last few days and I'm looking forward to sharing this with you all.

Tomorrow, we may visit another site of early Christian catacombs and visit an Etruscan museum in Rome, as well.

Tonight, however, I'm nursing sore calves and blistered feet. We have done an incredible amount of walking and much of it uphill.

May God bless you all.

Don