I even fell asleep during one of my own sermons. I dreamed I was preaching, came awake, and -- I WAS preaching! In my defense, I had been up all night on a search and rescue operation looking for a man who didn't come home from hunting, but, still. . .
Most preachers don't trust God and don't trust their listeners. Christian ministers don't trust the example of Jesus.
Jesus told stories. Parables, some of them. He used story proverbs. Then he walked on.
He trusted God. He trusted the stories. He trusted his listeners to find a message for them if they were ready for the message. Through it all he watched, he lived, and he thought.
When did it come to him that he had never seen householder light and lamp in the evening and then put it under a bushel basket? Under what circumstances did he grasp that if he had something in his eye, like a bit of sawdust, he could not see very well. He wouldn't be able to take anything out of another person's eye, for goodness' sake! He watched. He lived. He thought.
He put together stories and sayings. Probably he practiced them over and over and over until they flowed from his lips at appropriate and inappropriate times.
In my next blog I will share ways sermons could come alive. Meanwhile, what do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
What Matters?
Whether in the world of Islam, of Judaism, or of Christianity, what really matters?
The extremists scream, "Belief!!! Right Belief!!!! Being willing to die and to kill for right belief!!!!!!!"
If these people are right, eventually one group must kill off all the other groups and then we will live in bliss until the end of time. I use the word "we" generically. I am sure I seldom get it right, and I have yet to meet anyone who gets it right all the time. I'm not sure what "right" is.
What really matters?
A friend of mine suggests that the Golden Rule (which shows up in many versions of religion) is all we need: Do to others what you would have them do to you." He may be on to something.
He at least hints that it is character and caring behavior, not theological correctness that matters. So maybe someone who is a faithful adherent of the Girl Scout Law or Boy Scout Law matters more than a screaming evangelist or thundering theologian (of any faith).
For the rest of us in the world, getting theology right is usually less important than being treated fairly, with respect. We would rather be loved, in the agape' sense of the word that taught to believe the right things.
What do you think? What is important in your life journey? Leave a comment and let us know.
The extremists scream, "Belief!!! Right Belief!!!! Being willing to die and to kill for right belief!!!!!!!"
If these people are right, eventually one group must kill off all the other groups and then we will live in bliss until the end of time. I use the word "we" generically. I am sure I seldom get it right, and I have yet to meet anyone who gets it right all the time. I'm not sure what "right" is.
What really matters?
A friend of mine suggests that the Golden Rule (which shows up in many versions of religion) is all we need: Do to others what you would have them do to you." He may be on to something.
He at least hints that it is character and caring behavior, not theological correctness that matters. So maybe someone who is a faithful adherent of the Girl Scout Law or Boy Scout Law matters more than a screaming evangelist or thundering theologian (of any faith).
For the rest of us in the world, getting theology right is usually less important than being treated fairly, with respect. We would rather be loved, in the agape' sense of the word that taught to believe the right things.
What do you think? What is important in your life journey? Leave a comment and let us know.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Relationships and Rules
One of my teachers thought it was basic psychology. Temperament. The way people are wired.
He believed that certain people need formulae. Rules. Guiding Principles. Roadmaps for the future.
I wonder if he was correct. I believe in rules. I believe well formulated rules keep societies functioning, and that people who break those rules need to be brought to heel. Is that my temperament or is that something else? "Well formulated rules" might not include a lot of the rules we create and the laws our legislatures and congresspeople create. In fact, most laws barely seem well formulated at all. Is that the problem with religious legalism?
Many scholars have come to understand that most of the laws in Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy were never -- that is never enforced in the covenant people and tribes. A few seem well-formulated. Most are not.
I think this is why the good news of God's forgiveness is perceived as such bad news. Rules make everything predictable. A creator who forgives, who redeems the people on the cosmic junk pile and values them once again -- that makes it pretty hard to manage. Rules keep the train on the rails, the cars on the highways and out of the cornfields. Forgiveness?
Forgiveness puts us into a different universe. Yet without rules there can be nothing to forgive.
I have no cheap and easy conclusions to draw. But I would appreciate any reality based insights you can provide. Leave a comment and let me know. Let US know.
He believed that certain people need formulae. Rules. Guiding Principles. Roadmaps for the future.
I wonder if he was correct. I believe in rules. I believe well formulated rules keep societies functioning, and that people who break those rules need to be brought to heel. Is that my temperament or is that something else? "Well formulated rules" might not include a lot of the rules we create and the laws our legislatures and congresspeople create. In fact, most laws barely seem well formulated at all. Is that the problem with religious legalism?
Many scholars have come to understand that most of the laws in Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy were never -- that is never enforced in the covenant people and tribes. A few seem well-formulated. Most are not.
I think this is why the good news of God's forgiveness is perceived as such bad news. Rules make everything predictable. A creator who forgives, who redeems the people on the cosmic junk pile and values them once again -- that makes it pretty hard to manage. Rules keep the train on the rails, the cars on the highways and out of the cornfields. Forgiveness?
Forgiveness puts us into a different universe. Yet without rules there can be nothing to forgive.
I have no cheap and easy conclusions to draw. But I would appreciate any reality based insights you can provide. Leave a comment and let me know. Let US know.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Confusion in Faith-Based Groups
We got into a fascinating discussion this morning over breakfast. Seven of us were figuring out how to help a church grow in a healthy way. Ideas flew fast and furious. It brought to mind the massive tension between meaning and means. Let me ruminate on this with you.
Unless you and you alone are the inventor of a faith you probably got all or most of your ideas from those who have gone before. The community stretches back in time as well as forward into a history that has yet to be written.
Finding inner meaning generally means being part of, or interacting with, community. This is not just true in matters of faith. Scientists interact and play off one another's thoughts, discoveries, and passions. Poets interact with nature, with politics, with other poets, with the internet (these days). In spite of the presence of a few hermits in various faith traditions, they interact or used to interact with others with regard to 'what it all means' or 'what it means for me' or even, 'what it should mean for everyone'. Sadly, that last phrase has led to religious oppression, insanity, and robbery.1How do you keep the community healthy and alive from generation to generation? How does the community take care of it's own health while keeping the focus on meaning, not the institution?
Good marketing strategies are important. Just sitting in a field waiting for someone to stop by really doesn't work. But if you can get "someone" to stop by, what then?
I suggest that helping that 'someone' explore her or his questions, even questions he or she has never put into words before, is worthwhile. Once the questions are framed, then exploring possible responses from the perspective of faith can be helpful. In the culture of the United States, with our emphasis on the individual, it's usually best to let the person get access to some information and make her or his own meaning of it.
Most people don't come to a community for the potluck. More people than not endure the potluck to spend time with people finding meaning. Few people come for the gorgeous building. The help maintain the building to have a common place to work with the questions of life with others. But the building does need to be paid for, and the heating bills must be paid.
What grabs you about a faith based community? If you are part of one, even once in awhile, what is it that draws you back? Leave a comment and let us know.
Unless you and you alone are the inventor of a faith you probably got all or most of your ideas from those who have gone before. The community stretches back in time as well as forward into a history that has yet to be written.
Finding inner meaning generally means being part of, or interacting with, community. This is not just true in matters of faith. Scientists interact and play off one another's thoughts, discoveries, and passions. Poets interact with nature, with politics, with other poets, with the internet (these days). In spite of the presence of a few hermits in various faith traditions, they interact or used to interact with others with regard to 'what it all means' or 'what it means for me' or even, 'what it should mean for everyone'. Sadly, that last phrase has led to religious oppression, insanity, and robbery.1How do you keep the community healthy and alive from generation to generation? How does the community take care of it's own health while keeping the focus on meaning, not the institution?
- Some groups spit on the community. "I can be a Christian by myself. Just me and Jesus!" shout some.
- Some groups embrace the community they no longer get around to the mean which birthed the community. "We have to have more young people! "How can we keep our youth?!
Good marketing strategies are important. Just sitting in a field waiting for someone to stop by really doesn't work. But if you can get "someone" to stop by, what then?
I suggest that helping that 'someone' explore her or his questions, even questions he or she has never put into words before, is worthwhile. Once the questions are framed, then exploring possible responses from the perspective of faith can be helpful. In the culture of the United States, with our emphasis on the individual, it's usually best to let the person get access to some information and make her or his own meaning of it.
Most people don't come to a community for the potluck. More people than not endure the potluck to spend time with people finding meaning. Few people come for the gorgeous building. The help maintain the building to have a common place to work with the questions of life with others. But the building does need to be paid for, and the heating bills must be paid.
What grabs you about a faith based community? If you are part of one, even once in awhile, what is it that draws you back? Leave a comment and let us know.
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