The Weekly Round-Up for June 30, 2012

What a fascinating week! Wildfires and tropical storms; the Supreme Court upheld the Health Care Law; and some folks thought Katie Holmes and Tom Cuise's divorce merited national news(?). There is so much to share with my readers - I will jump right in. Happy reading!


The Best Editorial of the Week
Paul Krugman, The New York Times


The Real Winners


The Next Best Editorial of the Week
Noah Feldman, Bloomberg.com


Roberts Chooses Restraint Over History


Third Best Editorial of the Week
Jeremy Courtney, Sojourners


Jimmy Carter Tries to Pull the Log from America's Eye


Best Sermon of the Week (Wish I Had Been There to Hear It)
William Barber, II, Wild Goose Festival


With God Somethings Never Change

Most Insightful Theological Piece
Morgan Guyton, Jesus Creed

Thoughts on Penal Substitution

Best Informative Piece on the Bible
Joel Hoffman, The Huffington Post

Five Biblical Images You Probably Misunderstood


And Now A Word from The Monastery
Brother Mark Brown, SSJE


Church and Combustion


A Little Church Humor
Jon Acuff, Stuff Christians Like


Wishing You Had An Easy Job Like Working In A Church


This One Will Make You Think
Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker


Why Are American Kids So Spoiled?


This One Will Make You Think, Too!
Peggy Drexler, The Huffington Post


A Warning Against a Culture Where Every Child Wins


A Third Piece on Parenting - Christian Parenting
Genealda Woggon, Building Faith


Keepers of Wonder


Two Pieces That Are Not About The Church!
Kim Fuller, Organicsoul.com

Say an "Om"

W.W. Denslow, Dard Hunter Studio

The Denslow Seahorse


Thoughtful Reflection from the Unchurched to the Churched
John McAndrew, Uncommontary


And Open Letter to Christian Pastors and Other Religious Leaders


Interesting Piece on a Post-Denominational World
Derek Penwell, Dmergent


Community and Ministry in a Post-Denominational World


Great Piece on the Furture Church
Tom Long, The Christian Century


Future - Fatigue


Rekindling the Joy
Mark Sandlin, The God Article


The Church that Doesn't Steal Your Joy


The General Convention of the Episcopal Church Begins It's Triennium This Week - a "Plethora" of Thought
Elizabeth Keaton, Telling Secrets


The Family Feud


An Invitation to Dialogue


Susan Brown Snook, A Good and Joyful Thing


The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Part II


The Acts 8 Moment: A Call to Prayer and Action

The Nation Church Website

The General Convention Information Page

Father Jonathan's Blog

Same Sex Blessings and Marriage

It All Becomes Clear Now

Scott Gunn, Seven Whole Days

Resolutely Reading - Structural Reform

Resolutely Reading - Politcs

Tom Ferguson, The Crusty Old Dean

Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Welcome to Terrordome (This is a MUST read!)

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

Most Viewed Post at the John 13:34 Blog This Week
Thursday, June 28

The Real Issue Facing the Episcopal Church

Always End With Children, Animals or Adults Having Fun
Youtube

Love One Another - Brian

Sister Helen Prejean - Jesus, Forgiveness and Capital Punishment

I was in Pittsburgh the other day laying the ground work for some upcoming trips to the opera. I had the good pleasure of meeting Randy Adams who works on the staff of the Pittsburgh Opera. In the midst of our conversation, Randy shared with me an experience of meeting Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic Nun, who has become one of the world's leading opponents of capital punishment. After counseling death row inmates, and then witnessing their executions, she told her story in the now classic book "Dead Man Walking". The book went on to be a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, a stage play, and even an opera which the Pittsburgh Opera Company presented a number of years ago. Randy spoke so eloquently about his time with Sister Prejean that I wanted to learn more about her. 


Thanks to Youtube, here is an interview with Sister Prejean on InnerVIEWS. She shares her beliefs about Jesus, why she is opposed to the death penalty, finding the "transcendence" in each one of us, and what it means to forgive. These twenty-six minutes are well worth your time.

Love One Another - Brian

Excellent Link: Facts About The Death Penalty

The Real Issue Facing The Episcopal Church

With a week to go before the General Convention convenes in Indianapolis for its triennium gathering, I wish to state what I believe is the real issue facing our Church today. It has nothing to do with the budget presented by Executive Council or the Presiding Bishop’s version. Nor does it have anything to do with establishing rites for the blessing of same gender couples. Nor does it have anything to do with the structure of governance facing our Church (although this third issue is of great concern).

Here is what I believe, at the very core, is wrong with our Church and the real issue facing our faith community. Watch the video featuring the Reverend Tom Brackett, who serves as the Officer for Church Planting and Ministry Redevelopment at the National Church Center.

Anything strike you in Tom’s piece from the Day1 ministry in Atlanta? In a five and a half minute presentation, how many times did Tom mention the name ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’?

Answer: ‘God’ was mentioned six times.

Jesus?..... Jesus?...... Jesus?.....

The answer is zero.

There in lies the heart of the issue for this Church which I have loved for over thirty years. I am confident that Tom Brackett is a good guy but in five minutes of ‘spiritual babble’ he told me absolutely nothing about how Jesus is making a difference in our Church, in Tom’s life, and more importantly in the world. May I remind you that the video was entitled: New Life In The Church.

Where is there new life in our Church?
How is this new life coming to fruition? 
How does this new life in our Church reflect the life and ministry of Jesus?

Tom was correct when he said that “it feels like the sky is falling.” It is indeed because the leaders of the Church have decided that structure and governance, issues and agendas are more important than the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of engaging the world about the story of Jesus, we spend all of our time “navel gazing” about what is happening all around us in our ever quickening world. Leaders in the Church seem to believe that to stay relevant we need to use words like “molting” or phrases such as “casting off of a shell” or “vulnerable acts of emerging”. Question: What do any of those images have to do with the Gospel?

Bill Easum, the Methodist preacher, church planter and consultant, said at the Bowen Conference at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina in the year 2000 that the Christian Church was entering into what he called a “wormhole”: a scientific term dealing with a ‘shortcut’ through space - taking us from one age to the next at a speed we have never experienced before. Everything we have known about the Church is changing all around us. But then Bill said something I will never forget: “The only constant in the Wormhole will be Jesus. Jesus will be our North Star.”

The Episcopal Church is not “caught in an elevator between the fourth and fifth floor” trying to get out. Our Church is “trapped” by our narcissism, our selfish need for individual or group rule, our addiction to money and the idolatry that comes with it, and most importantly, our unwillingness to speak with truth and integrity about the experience of Jesus in our own lives. I would like Father Brackett to return to the Day1 Studios and ask for additional airtime. Actually I wish that the entire National Church Staff (The Presiding Bishop, Mary Brennan, Ruth Ann-Collins, Abigail Nelson, Peter Ng, Robert Radtke, Stacey Sauls, and the like) go on record and answer the following question: What is it about your relationship, your experience, with Jesus that the world cannot live without knowing?

Tom spoke of the “Kairos moment of God’s unique intervention”. Our Church needs an intervention alright from the pious theological and philosophical “babble” that is all the rage these days. Keep it simple - stay focused on Jesus who lived fully, loved wastefully, and whose presence of being showed to all the reality that underlies eveything that is.

Love One Another - Brian

"Lord, teach us to pray...." Mindful Walking

As many of you know from reading my blog, the other day I took a Sunday morning visit to the zoo to commune with God and with the animals. You can read more about that experience by scrolling down below or clicking here. I spent the first hour at the zoo with the elephants, simply watching, admiring, and reflecting with amazement what the largest land animal can do. It was then time to explore the rest of the park. I decided to go to the furthest point from where I was which happened to be the Northern Trek.

To get from point A to point B meant walking a good 10 to 15 minutes up a fairly constant incline through a gorgeous section of the zoo. I decided that while I walked, I would be mindful of God. I would pray while I was in motion. All I wanted to do was to spend some time on a Sabbath morning basking in the light of God’s love.

 Hudson Springs Park in Hudson, Ohio
http://www.hudson.oh.us/

This is not something new, mind you, for “Prayer Walk” or "Mindful Walking" is a devotional practice found in many of the great religions of our world. I had tried the practice a number of years before walking around a two mile loop at Hudson Springs Park in the town in which I live. Plus, I had been reading about the discipline earlier in the week, so I thought: why not!



The park was still fairly empty so there were few distractions along the way. As I began the climb I noticed my breathing and heartbeat were beginning to speed up. I was going to fast! I paused and simply took some deep breaths, slowed myself down and continued along the journey. By slowing down (something that has always been a struggle for me), I began to see things I ordinarily would have missed – Beech Trees (When was the last time you noticed a Beech Tree? They are remarkable!), Butterflies, a magnificent bridge extending over the valley, Emperor Swans, and a greenhouse with amazing flora that simply dazzled the imagination with its color and textures.



Inside the Greenhouse
at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo



It was here in the greenhouse and again outside under that magnificent bridge where I truly felt the presence of God in a most joyful and expressive way. Thomas Merton, in a letter to a friend, expressed it this way: "The reality that is present to us and in us: call it being ... or Silence. And the simple fact that by being attentive, by learning to listen (or recovering the natural capacity to listen) we can find ourself engulfed in such happiness that it cannot be explained: the happiness of being at one with everything in that hidden ground of Love for which there can be no explanations. May we all grow in grace and peace, and not neglect the silence that is printed in the center of our being. It will not fail us." (Letter to a Friend in 1967)

I wanted to sing right there in the middle of the zoo! The words that came to my mind were from that wonderful hymn by Maltbie Davenport Babcock: This is My Father’s World. I had learned that hymn as a child in junior choir at the Middle Collegiate Church in lower Manhattan and I simply wanted to burst forth into song. (I wonder what would have happened if I did?!!)

Sidebar: The story goes that Babcock, who lived in Lockport, New York, was fond of the outdoors and took frequent walks in the upstate near his home enjoying the panoramic vistas or fams and the views of Lake Ontario. It was said, on the day that Babcock wrote this poem, that he turned to his wife and told her, “I am going out to see the Father’s world.” With a musical setting by Franklin L. Sheppard, here is what kept playing in my mind as I walked through the park:

This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise. This is my Father's world, he shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!

By the time I reached the top of the hill, I was in a marvelous place – sensing a deep connection with God and creation; aware that I am a beloved child of God (and so are you, dear reader); and feeling immense gratitude for my life and all that has transpired in fifty one years on the journey. "God reigns; let the earth be glad!"

Now, my experience does not necessarily follow the steps to this prayer that are outlined below – but that is not the point. I encourage you to try this way of “mindfulness”. Take a walk with God and see where the Spirit leads you. Then, drop me a line and share your experience.

Love One Another – Brian

From Teresa Blythe’s book, 50 Ways to Pray

Intention

Taking a step-by-step walk with God

The Exercise

• Decide where you want to walk
• Begin to walk with one intention – to experience God in the walking. Express that intention to God and ask for God’s grace along the walk.
• Ask God to use the walk to communicate something to you.
• Keep your senses open to any sight, sound, smell, or taste that you may experience. Be open and accepting but do not be anxious about this experience. Let is unfold.
• Listen to your breath as you walk slowly. How many steps are you taking per breath? Just observe. Do not control.
• Listen to your heartbeat.
• Listen to the sounds of your footsteps.
• Listen to the environment all around you.
• If you have a prayer of the heart that you want to recite, say one half on inhalation and the other on exhalation. For example: “Lord in your grace” (inhale), “Grant your peace” (exhale). Repeat this along the walk.
• When your walk is finished, stretch out your arms toward heaven and say a prayer of gratitude for mobility, breath and life.
• If you wish, you may write in a journal about this experience at the end. What was it like to pray this way? Where did you experience God’s grace along the walk? Where did you feel God communicating with you? What did you notice? What part of the prayer was easiest for you? What part was the most difficult? (50 Ways to Pray, pages 91 and 92)

Sabbath Time

Tuesday is the weekly Sabbath Day for the John 13:34 Blog. Thanks for checking in. Back at it again tomorrow.

Cleveland Rocks! The Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest

On Sunday, I decided to take my camera and head north and west to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. I thought: why not worship God in the great outdoors, enjoy creation, and marvel at the vast variety of animals - each unique and marvelous?

It is a blessing to live in Northeast Ohio and have such a treasure so close to home. I had intended to spend a couple of hours photographing the animals - five hours later and 750 pictures, I was on my way home with many happy memories.

Since I arrived just as the gates were opening, I went to investigate the Zoo’s newest exhibit, Elephant Crossing, which is a five acre compound dedicated to six African elephants.  These “ponderous pachyderms” share their exhibit with meerkats, naked mole rats, an aviary of colorful birds and an African rock python. Here is where I met Moshi and Martika, two female elephants, who were greeting the morning by playing with their keeper, leisurely munching on breakfast, and enjoying the bright sunshine.

Moshi was born in 1976 and weighs in just under 8,000 pounds. The guide book stated the following about this graceful giant: “The most independent member of the herd, Moshi is the most cooperative elephant in daily training sessions. When she is spending time with the other females, she seems especially fond of Martika and Shenga. Moshi enjoys the Night Range and often sleeps outside under the stars.”

Martika was born in Zimbabwe in 1982 and has been a feature at the Cleveland Zoo since 1997. Obviously, from watching her for about an hour, she is the playful one of the group and put on a show, later in the afternoon, for the visitors by splashing around in the pool. I have always had a great passion for elephants since I was a little boy visiting the Central Park Zoo in New York City. I was delighted to see the care that these animals were receiving and the environment in which they lived. It was very clear to me that these largest of all living land animals were being well looked after.

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo also includes a Northern Trek with a neat exhibit featuring many grey wolves; an African Savanna where you can feed the giraffes; an Australian Adventure complete with a lorikeet aviary and a baby koala bear (see below); a Primate, Cat and Aquatics Building where you can see piranhas and sharks directly across the hall from a snow leopard and mandrills. In addition, this year is the twentieth anniversary for the Rain Forest Pavilion which houses over 10,000 plants and 600 animals – the stars of which are the Bornean Orangutans. This is truly a first class exhibit and well worth your time to visit when you are at the zoo.

I was impressed by the overall care extended to the animals. No, the zoo is not a perfect place (for example, the bear and tiger exhibit is in need of a major renovation). But, you can tell that the administration, leaders, staff and volunteers care deeply for the animals, conservation, and the overall appearance of the zoo. It is a true treasure for those of us who call Cleveland home. I will leave you with a few pictures of some of my new friends.

Love One Another - Brian

It will be a poorer world if the time ever comes when children have to ask: 'What was a lion?'
 - Frank W. Lane

Mother Koala Bear and her seven month old

The decline in tropical forests is due, in part, to consumer demand in industrialized countries. For example, the United States obtains much of its timber from tropical forests. Each year, logging removes about 20,000 square miles of these forests –
an area nearly the size of West Virginia.

- Dr. Peter Raven

The jungle filled me with a sense of wonder that has never left me. It has cast a spell over me, and I always return to it… I have seen all this perish. The jungle is burning, the great trees are being destroyed and no one cares.

- Gertrude Blom

The Sunday Musical Offering ~ Vladimir Horowitz Plays Rachmaninoff

A friend of mine played some Rachmaninoff for a social gathering the other night and it made me realize how much I truly enjoy this awesome musical master. The Sunday Musical Offering presents Vladimir Horowitz playing the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto. This was the last recording Horowitz ever made of this concerto and maybe the last time he played it. The great virtuoso was 75 years old when this performance was given at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. A young Zubin Mehta leads the forces of the New York Philharmonic. The year was 1978 and I was a junior in High School. That was a long time ago, but you never forget greatness.

Love One Another - Brian

Beyond Theism ~ The Conversation Continues....

I was at a dinner party last night and a one of the guests came up to me and shared how much she enjoys the John 13:34 Blog. It was nice to hear that this forum is making a small difference in the larger community. My friend went on to say that while she enjoyed the clips of John Spong, her 'hero' was Marcus Borg and how much his writings, especially Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time, had made an impact on her life.

Borg is also a favorite of mine. I found the clip below on Youtube earlier this morning that compliments what yesterday's post was beginning to consider about Theism. Marcus Borg is joined here by John Dominic Crossan, another brilliant scholar.

Love One Another - Brian 

Beyond Theism ~ Some First Reflections

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.” - Basho

As many of my readers know, I am a seeker and lover of God who is for ever wrestling with the scriptures and with my belief in order to discover and experience more deeply the Judeo/Christian God. In this period of exile in which I have been placed, I have had the opportunity to read, reflect, write, converse with friends, and worship in multifaceted ways: from pious liturgically centered reverence to the "come as you are", high tech style mega-church.

I believe that Christianity stands at a tumultuous crossroads in regards to faith and what it means to believe. The ideas of "theism" that served the institutional church well for generations (perhaps millennia) is taking its final lap. I agree with the definition of theism as proposed by Bishop John Spong in his book, A New Christianity For A New World: "God dwelling outside human existence and periodically invading this world to accomplish the Divine will." This definition, developed over time and generations, came to assist human beings as we struggled to cope with the pain of our human existence. But for me, “theism” no longer has much validity or purpose.

For example, I was driving to a meeting yesterday and listening to the local religious station, a preacher was going on about how God was mad at society, mad at individuals for actions they had taken, and God was going to do something about it!. Really? Do you and I in fact believe that the God who created the universe is that concerned with my every action and watching over each one of us like Santa Claus? “So be good for goodness sake….”

If Saint Nick has become a myth for most of us, why does the Church continue to perpetuate long standing myths about God, and about a man named Jesus? If theism is dead, or on the way out, it makes complete sense to me that Christians must not only revisit the whole notion of God, but also the understanding of who Jesus was. If God is no longer a supernatural being, then Jesus and his “incarnation” have to be totally re-examined. A way to begin would be to try and answer this question: “What meaning or experience do I find in the life and ministry of Jesus?”

I believe that most congregations or religious institutions would rather die than embrace the change of a new theological understanding of God. Our Church leaders are sacred silly of what that might mean to the control agents that have been in power for generations. The clergy would actually have to put forth some effort and articulate what it is they believe about God to be true. In this post-theistic world in which we live in, is there even a need for “ordained” clergy? Aren’t we all “divinely” commissioned to live each day to the fullest; to love, as Bishop Spong likes to suggest, “wastefully”; and to “be all that we are capable of being?”

The new theological understanding of God that is out there will not be about belief in creeds, dogma, hierarchical institutions, and the like. I believe as we cross over from one period of history into the next, the new theological understanding of God will be about the “experience” of God and “living” the truth of that experience to its fullest. This I believe is what the disciples and apostles were seeking in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. In Jesus, they witnessed someone who experienced God in a most powerful and authentic way. It was that experience that Jesus had with God that others wished to claim as their own.

What is your experience of the living God and how does that understanding meet with my experience of the living God? How do we live out that experience together in community? I am not interested in what you ‘believe’ about God, but I am seeking to better understand your experience of God in your own life and journey.

What follows below is simply two minutes of Bishop Spong speaking more eloquently than I about the issues raised above.

Love One Another - Brian

“Lord, teach us to pray…” Lectio Divina with Music

In this edition of my Wednesday forum on prayer and the spiritual life, I wish to make a case for using the discipline of lectio divina and the gift of music as a way of prayer that can open our hearts up to God. I have been using this method of prayer for the last month or so and the results have been astonishing. My listening skills have sharpened considerably and I am hearing favorite pieces of music as if for the first time.

For example, I have been listening and praying to the final movement of Johannes Brahms’ First Symphony. Last week, in the midst of prayer, I heard voices in the orchestra that I had never heard before bringing a new depth of insight to my understanding and marveling at the diversity of sounds. It has reminded me once again of the great variety of the created world and how very awesome our God is.

The intention of such a spiritual discipline is simply this: to experience God in music.

Teresa Blythe in her creative work, 50 Ways to Pray, suggests the following:

• Choose a piece of music that you wish to pray with.
• Begin with silence, asking God to be present in the music.
• Listen to your selection more than once. As you do this, be aware of any image, word, emotion, or memory that is called forth in you.
• When you settle on an image, word, emotion, or memory, sit silently with it and bring your attention back to it when your attention strays. Allow this prayer gift to deepen in you.
• What might this image, word, phrase, or emotion have to say about your life today? How is it connected to your spiritual journey? Ask God to reveal that to you.
• Rest silently with your image, word, phrase, or emotion. Offer it to God. Wait patiently on God.
• What would you like to express to God about the experience of praying with this piece of music? You might want to write in a journal about it, share it with someone, or return to it in prayer at another time.
• Settle into a wordless and imageless time with God. When distractions get in the way, simply acknowledge them and return to comtemplatio.
• Thank God for what is received in this time of prayer. (page 52-53)

I have included a couple of musical examples that you may want to use as you begin this method of prayer. I will be interested in knowing your experience. Drop me a line and tell me what you found.

Love One Another - Brian

Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 1, Fourth Movement

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Serenade for Winds, K. 361, Third Movement

Eamonn Karran, Single White Feather, Meditative Jazz





Mel Tormie, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square", 1994



Sabbath Rest

Tuesday is the weekly Sabbath Day for the John 13:34 Blog. Thanks for checking in. Back at it again tomorrow.

Romans 1 - Mr. Macaluso and the Comma

Text: Romans 1:1-15

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you - or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish - hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

When I entered the ninth grade at Montclair High School, I was placed in an advanced English class (to this day, I am still puzzled by that choice!). The teacher of that group of twenty or so students was a man by the name of William Macaluso. He was a skinny, hippie looking type, who had the face which could easily pass for the classic Jesus portrait that one usually finds at the local YMCA. Mr. Macalsuo loved poetry and the classics and when he was teaching about the comma, would read long sections of the apostle Paul to his class.

Those glory days of my ninth grade experience came back to me when I read today’s lectionary passage from the Book of Romans because Paul’s lengthy salutation is only one sentence in the Greek. It goes on and on, with one theological thought after another. I can still see Mr. Macaluso’s face brimming with glee as he read those words to us many years ago.

Icon of Saint Paul

For the next week or so, the daily lectionary makes its way through this demanding epistle. I hope you will follow along as we read the scriptures together. The Letter to the Romans is Paul at his very best. He did not know this congregation very well nor had he ever paid them a visit. As we near the end of the epistle, we will find out one of Paul’s motives for writing the letter: asking this faith community for funds to speed the evangelist on his way to Spain and the western edges of the empire. But before that request for funds, and not having a strong connection with this congregation, the apostle has a chance to lay out before the Romans his understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

William Loader, in his excellent online exegesis, sets forth the opening of this epistle. He writes, “Letter openings followed a set formula, probably an adaptation in Jewish circles of the basic Greek standard. “X to Y, Hi!" becomes a greeting of "grace and shalom/peace". Christians like Paul set this in the context of faith in Christ. Within that framework Paul incorporates elements which reflect the concerns of the letter. Thus here he begins by defining himself with the word, "servant/slave", placing himself and his mission in subordination to Christ. In no sense is this an "ego trip". But it is far from a denial of power. For Paul alludes to his call to be an apostle. That carries authority; Paul has a strong sense of being sent and authorized to do God's work, in particular in bringing the good news of God to Gentiles. Galatians 1 tells us more” (The Text This Week).

What I love about this opening salutation is the clear focus on Jesus. Paul writes that he is a servant of Jesus Christ and called to be apostle. The Good News is not about Paul – no, it is about God’s Son – the Anointed One – who died and rose again at the resurrection. The significance of that story is the very basis for Paul’s ministry. This “Damascus Road” survivor was now an ambassador whose vocation was to carry the Good News of Jesus Christ out to the ever expanding Roman Empire – to the Gentiles.

“Such transforming power,” Loader writes, “which Paul frequently associates with the Spirit (as in 1:4) and in which he experiences the living presence of Christ, draws its energy from God's compassion, which is so radical and far reaching in Paul's mind that it breaks down all barriers, including those erected on biblical principles” (The Text This Week). Wow! Think about that for a moment. With all the division that we see in the present day world, and more importantly in the institutional Church, Paul boldly declares that these walls which divide should forever be broken down by the power of compassion which we find in the life, ministry and example of Jesus of Nazareth.

“Grace and Peace”: these are powerful and hopeful words which I think, all too often, and almost two millennia later, we gloss over so quickly that we miss the author’s intent. For Paul, these words represent the very heart of his gospel. As I reread Paul, I am constantly impressed by his desire for wholeness and healing which is nothing less than the very heart and compassion of God. Paul had discovered and received that grace and peace in his own life and his passion for the gospel was to share that divine compassion with the rest of the world.

For Mr. Macaluso it was the comma that gave him such delight from this passage. Thirty-five years later, for this student, it is Paul’s message of “grace and peace” that fills me with hope for the day ahead.

Love One Another - Brian

The Sunday Musical Offering - Father's Day

Today is the Sabbath. I encourage you to go to your church and be a part of the worship of God; or attend another denomination and learn something new. Either way, enjoy your time with God amongst fellow seekers.

Okay, I confess..... I am not into all of these made-up Hallmark days where we are suppose to celebrate Mothers, Fathers, Office Assoicates, Grandparents, and everybody else inbetween. In my opinion, we should be celebrating one another and honoring the divine in each other every day - not just on the second Sunday of May and June.

That said, and knowing that I am in the minority on this point, I was racking my brain trying to think of an operatic father figure that might make for a good Sunday Musical Offering selection. But there are none! Most of the fathers in Verdi's operas, for example, really are not the type of role models we want to celebrate on a day like today - Nabucco, the Miller, Rigoletto, Giorgio Germont, and Amonasro. All of these men take actions that lead to the ultimate death of their daughter or their son's intended. Now there is a cheery thought!

Then it came to me - Billy Bigelow. Here is a guy who has his ups and downs in the musical Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein. But near the end of the first act, Billy has a gem of a musical moment where he sings about his son, or maybe his daughter. The "Soliloquy" from Carousel is one of the supreme musical moments in all of theater (It never fails to move me for its emotional truth and musical power). The clip features one of my all time favorite singers: Gordon MacRae (what a voice!).

Since it is a "special" day, and because I admire Gordon MacRae, an extra musical moment from one of my all time favorite musicals. Enjoy!

Love One Another - Brian

The Weekly Round-Up for June16, 2012

Been a crazy week - moving to new digs (downsizing) and trying to decide what to keep and what to give away. How we humans can collect stuff! On a Blog note - finally had a hit from the Continent of Africa (Burundi, in fact) - it only took 12,000+ views but we finally made it. Thanks to whoever is reading my posts in Burundi.

The Weekly Round-Up follows - please enjoy.

The Best Editorial of the Week
David Brooks, The New York Times

The Moral Diet

The Next Best Editorial of the Week
Robert Reich, robertreich.org

Why The Economy Cannot Get Out of First Gear

This One Will Make You Think
In the Meantime...

Churches and Bookstores

This One Will Make You Think, Too
David Gergen, CNN Opinion

Supreme Court in No Win Situation

Bringing Hope to the World
Acumen Fund

Investing in Solar Light

Good Advice for Clergy and Members of Congregations on Treating One Another
PeaceBang, Beauty Tips For Ministers

Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Ministry

Anybody Who Works in Non-Profit, Please Read
Jan Masaoka, Blue Avacado

Disconnect Between Management and Impact

This One Will Make You Feel Good
NBC Nightly News

Cameras Help Kids Cope With Cancer

This One Will Make You Feel Good As Well
The Art of Moku Hanga

The Art of Japanese Wood Block Printing

Learn Something New About Another Faith Tradition
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Huffington Post

The Bible Is A Book of Inclusion and Love

Best Christian Blog Post of the Week
Susan Brown Snook, A Good and Joyful Thing

But What About Jesus?

Most Viewed Post at the John 13:34 Blog This Week
Thursday, June 14

The Idolatry of Church Buildings

Always End With Children, Animals or Adults Having Fun
YouTube, The Book of Acts in Three Minutes or Less

Love One Another - Brian

The Idolatry of Church Buildings



Chicago, Illinois



One of the most depressing things about living in Northeast Ohio is traveling about and observing how many church buildings are boarded up and closed, for sale, or in dire need of serious repair. I was driving to Lorain recently and must have passed three or four churches with For Sale signs in front of them. On any Sunday morning, travel along East 55th Street in Cleveland and notice carefully how many church sanctuaries appear to be on their “last leg”. The amount of money that an Episcopal Church, like Christ Church in Hudson, spends annually on upkeep should make us all pause and ask a serious question: “Have we Christians made an idol out of our Church buildings?”

A dear friend of mine and scholar, The Reverend Bill Doubleday, recently posted a reflection on Facebook on this very subject. It is worth your reading so I have included it in my post. With gratitude to Bill and his wisdom, he writes:

“We now have entered an era where I hear more and more about church closings. One scholar I consulted, said that EACH YEAR – nationwide - across all denominations - nearly 4,000 churches are closed and significantly less than 2,000 are opened or planted. A growing number of the closures are small, often long struggling, Episcopal Churches, especially in the cities and in rural areas north of the Mason Dixon Line. Occasional, I hear about an Episcopal Church being planted somewhere in the Sunbelt where Christendom still holds sway to some extent – though probably not for too much longer.



New England

“I believe that until the Second World War, church buildings across the land – in virtually all denominations – and in rural, suburban, and urban settings - opened, moved, closed, or were sold relatively routinely. In New York City, some major parishes moved uptown several times over a period of more than a hundred years. In Western Massachusetts where I grew up, closures came when there were too many denominations competing in one community, or there were two or more churches of the same denomination in a community or area that could barely sustain one.



Church Brew, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania



“These disused church buildings were normally reverently deconsecrated and then some church buildings were sold to another denomination, to another faith group, or even to a non-profit organization that could use the meeting space. Quite rarely those old churches were deployed for some definitely adaptive use like housing, offices, or commercial space. (If one travels to London or Amsterdam one sees far more adaptive use of the oversupply of disused churches – an oversupply not unlike the one steadily emerging in this country in both large and small communities as well.)



Tearing Down The Church



“Sometimes those old church buildings were simply torn down and their holy objects and monuments were either given to sister churches or sold at auction. Sometimes those old church buildings stand empty for decades and one puzzles about who actually owns them, who keeps them secure or successfully boarded up, or whether there is anybody who still cares about the structure at all – usually the grass seems to get cut – perhaps miraculously by angels. It always makes me sad when a church building is torn down, but given all the deferred maintenance related to old churches, our nation and people may be safer as a result of their destruction.

“I believe that by the 1950’s, with the reign of the Christendom model of church and with mythic conceptions of the Mainline Churches, there were fewer church closures, except when a downtown parish moved to the outskirts of a community as a result of urban flight or when they desperately needed more parking spaces, or because some small rural community had essentially died and one or more churches simply gave up the ghost.

Memphis, Tennessee

“With the turmoil of the 1960’s and 1970’s, some dioceses and bishops made a commitment to try not to close churches in embattled and struggling urban neighborhoods – “so that the church can continue to bear witness to God’s love and justice.” Some of those parishes thrive today; others look like padlocked bastions in the midst of drugs, crime, and deep poverty; still other churches have died or been eased out of their misery when the last of the old parishioners died, having failed to engage in any meaningful way with a drastically changing neighborhood and a profoundly different set of demographic realities.

“In recent years, the Mainline Churches has faced many financial, demographic, and social justice challenges. Reduced amounts of money from local congregations and dioceses continue to flow upward. Less and less money trickles down from denominational headquarters and dioceses toward the local congregations. Aging congregants are dying fast. Younger congregants – if they are present at all – do not necessarily embrace high stewardship levels towards the church, in part because there are so many causes that may seem as worthy as, more effective than, and less top heavy than the local church. Mission of one sort or another – often outside of the church – is more engaging than the support of mere survival by a local congregation that is dedicated to “doing everything the way we always have.” I also believe that Historic Landmark status has at best been a very mixed blessing for congregations. Sometimes we lapse into becoming virtual local historical societies mainly dedicated to preserving an old building, rather than engaging the losses, changes, and sacrifices that may be involved in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Renewed Mission of the Church in the 21st century.”

Hickory, North Carolina

In the first parish I served after seminary, the building and grounds were certainly a major focus of the congregation’s overall ministry. It was a gorgeous place to worship and the gardens made you feel like you were in England. But for the life of me, some twenty-three years later, I cannot think of any ministry beyond the boundaries of that site.

Christ Church in Charlotte had a most unusual circumstance. In the sanctuary there was a recurring water leak from the slate roof that every Junior Warden tried to fix and failed! (God indeed has a sense of humor!) The water would soften and loosen the plaster leaving a discoloration. I always saw it as a sign from God that the congregation should embrace its imperfection.

Christ Church in Charlotte, North Carolina

Another interesting aspect of that congregation was the notion and expectation that each Rector would lead a building campaign during his tenure. I believe that every Rector, except for Harcourt Waller, has in fact accomplished that task. Christ Church has always been a leader in social justice ministries in Charlotte and beyond but those buildings, and their upkeep, must have a significant impact on the annual budget.

When I moved to Mooresville, the faith community I served was worshipping at the local YMCA. Everything the Mission owned was housed in a sixteen foot trailer. Every Sunday, the trailer was backed to the front of the YMCA and a talented group of folks rolled long carts of chairs, an altar, synthesizer, Sunday School materials, vestments, etc. down a ramp and into the building. In less than thirty minutes, we were ready to worship and all we had to do was pay rent without having to be responsible for the upkeep. Those were happy days and still fill me with gratitude for the dedication and commitment of that group of “pioneer” Christians.

Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson, Ohio

Now, in Ohio, the buildings which house our ministries are both old and new. A Systems Campaign was established a few years ago to address serious problems to the older portion of the facility due to lack of vision, funding, and neglect. The congregation has made some very good strides in stemming the tide, thanks to superb leadership by the Parish Administrator and the Chair of the campaign, but there is always more work to be done.

So, I have witnessed in my time as a leader in the Church the whole spectrum of positive and negative in owning and maintaining a building or renting space in order to accomplish ministry. What is the future going to be like for Church buildings across this great land? Only time will tell… but if Christians continue to spend more money and time serving the buildings, and less on the mission and ministry of Jesus in service to others, claims of idolatry may not be so difficult to perceive.

Love One Another - Brian