Epiphany 1 - Friday - Feast of Hilary

I am on the road early today to cheer on THE Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus as they play their arch rivals the Wolverines in a hopefully physical and exciting hockey contest this evening.  The reflection below was sent to me by a dear friend in North Carolina. The piece comes from The Huffington Post and written by Steve McSwain, an author, speaker and executive coach. It is well worth your read. If what Steve says is true, I wonder what leaders in the Church are doing to address these concerns?  I am particularly struck by the sentence: “Go into many churches today, for example, and, instead of finding an institution interested in saving the world, what you will likely find is an institution vastly more interested in saving itself.” True?

I will be back on tomorrow.

The Decline of the Church: Will 2012 Be More of the Same?

I'm always a little amused, but saddened too, by the church growth and decline reports. Here's one of the most recent reports: "Growing churches continue to grow and declining churches continue to decline," according to the National Council of Churches' 2011 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. What many of these reports do not say is that the churches that are growing are simply picking up the members of those leaving the declining churches.

"If the current decline in church attendance were the medical case history of a hospital patient, the diagnosis would read: "Chronically ill; resistant to change; on life support; likely terminal." The church itself is the one institution most in need of the very thing it proclaims to the world -- salvation."

That's an excerpt from "The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God". There's more. 34 million Americans have given up on organized religion. Yet, for many of these dropouts from churches, synagogues, temples and so on, spirituality is still a vital part of their lives.

As for me, I grew up in the church, the son of a Southern Baptist minister. When I graduated from college, I went to seminary, and after several years of study, I began my career as a professional minister. It wasn't long, however, before I discovered that the church was more lost than the world it was trying to save.

Go into many churches today, for example, and, instead of finding an institution interested in saving the world, what you will likely find is an institution vastly more interested in saving itself.

Without question, the church is desperately ill. I should know. I have worked in literally hundreds of them for the last two decades -- everything from Baptist to Lutheran to Presbyterian to Episcopalian to Methodist to Roman Catholic... you name it. I've been there. What gives some reassurance is that, here and there, I see glimmers of hope like single lights on a string of burned out tree lights, still burning.

The grim fact remains, however, that the overwhelming majority of churches in America are in a major decline mode. In the US alone, more than 35 million people, many former churchgoers, want nothing to do with the church anymore. Yet, if you listen to church leaders, as of course I do, you get a very different interpretation and explanation for the church's decline. The most frequent explanation for the decline is the "secularization" of our culture.

Here's the reality, however. Most people have left or are leaving because of one or all of the following reasons:

1. They are so beyond being told that science is evil and suspect and that things like the Genesis account of creation are to be taken, not as a spiritual explanation for the origin of the universe, but as a scientific explanation. They're also beyond being told what to think, how to live, the choices they must make, and the beliefs they must subscribe to in order to be approved.

2. Many churches are trapped in traditions that have died or are dying along with their aging populations. Traditions are good but, when traditions harden into institutions, as of course they almost always do, the traditions die with the people who cling to them. What's left are like pyramids of what used to be, mere objects to admire for their magnificence and beauty, but hardly for their relevance.

3. Others have left the church, or are leaving, because they've had it with the conflict, the almost incessant bickering, backbiting, disagreements, debates, and, as a consequence, the division that is church life in most congregations today.

4. The church has created a world of make-believe enemies and so has blinded itself to the fact that the church is its own worst enemy. Churches are patently disconnected to reality. It's as if they are no longer "in the world but not of it," as Jesus instructed. Instead, the church is increasingly obsessed with its-self -- its collective ego -- as well as its own survival. In many churches, worship has become the declining weekly gathering of prejudiced, narrow-minded, frightened people who seek temporary solace in their increasingly neurotic preoccupation with matters of little or no consequence. The sane are leaving this insanity.

5. In many respects, the church is still the most segregated place in America. Where I grew up, some 40 or so years ago, most of my neighbors attended, or said they did, the Baptist church my father served. That is, if they were white Baptists; the black Baptists attended their own church. Even though the civil rights movement made a difference in America, it has made little difference still in most churches in America. This, in spite of the fact that, today, your neighbor is just as likely to be black as white or Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or atheist, as Christian. Such is the real world and it's increasingly the-place-of-the-work world, too. So, my suspicion is, people are leaving the church because they've rightly decided it makes more sense to live in the real world -- a desegregated one.

Of course, there are a plethora of other reasons people have left or are leaving the church -- greedy, materialistic leaders, leaders who are sex offenders, leadership that glosses over wrongdoing by church leaders, and the preoccupation of many churches with the end of the world. Unbelievably, there are many churches that are actually praying for and seeking to elect political leaders who wish to usher in the end of the world and hasten the return of Jesus. You've likely noticed the wags on religious television with their endless predictions of the end of the world. I've always found this curious thing and have wanted to ask these people, "if you actually know when the world is going to end and you truly believe it's going to occur at any moment, why would you keep asking people to send you their offerings? Wouldn't you instead be giving away everything in preparation for the end?"

If people used to go to church to find hope, they're leaving the church because many of them are tired of worshiping with neurotic and, in some cases, even psychotic people who have, for all practical purposes, given up on the world. Since their evangelistic efforts have failed to convert the world to Christianity, leaving it is easier. So, while many are leaving the church in hopes of making a difference in the world, many within the church are looking to simply leave the world. What kind of twisted insanity is this?

Now, if you were to conclude from this brief analysis that I've totally given up on the church... well, let me set the record straight. I have not. At least, not yet. I actually hold membership in several churches. I'm a Baptist by upbringing and training and I'm a member of Highland Baptists Church, in Louisville, Kentucky. It's one of those rare -- and I do mean rare -- bright lights. It's a Baptist church that truly seeks to live out the teachings of Jesus. And, because the church does, it has become, among other things, an LGBT friendly church. It is known and respect across the city as truly a Christ-honoring church. What makes it so rare is that the congregation truly seeks to "love enemies," "to do good to those who are evil" and so forth.

I'm also a Roman Catholic by choice, an associate member of the Episcopal church, as well as a member of a local Unity congregation. As I find a light, I seek to unite. I realize how unconventional it is, but it's my way of encouraging them to keep shining, to continue modeling the hard teachings of Jesus. For example, I like the Unity Church's emphasis on spirituality and their positive affirmation of all people regardless of the spiritual path they've chosen to follow.

Yes, I hold out some hope for the church -- a hope that the church will move beyond its collective insanity -- where the interest is only in what separates it from others; where the obsession is, as I describe with The Enoch Factor, the madness of insisting, "We're right! You're wrong!" "We're the chosen ones; you're not!" or "We're in; you're out!" And, instead, affirm and defend all people, whoever they are, whatever spiritual path they've chosen to follow as they seek to discover themselves, connect with Transcendence, know and spread peace and happiness, and live an ethical life.

In the end, what could possibly matter more than this?

Steve McSwain, The Huffington Post, December 29, 2011

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-mcswain/decline-of-church-2012_b_1167437.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

Epiphany 1 - Thursday - Feast of Aelred of Rievaulx

Text: Philippians 2:1-4 (see below) 

In today’s post, I want to address an issue of leadership that concerns me greatly and one that I see more and more not only in the church but throughout the culture. The issue is the leader who hides.

Jean Vanier in his book, Community and Growth provides wisdom on this important concept. He writes that people in authority “are in danger of throwing up barriers between themselves and those for whom they are responsible. They give the impression that they are always busy. They impress others with the size of their car or their office. They give the impression that they are superior, or at least the most important person around. These leaders are afraid and create fear in others. They keep their distance because they are insecure. Truly responsible people are open to others….They do not hide in their offices, and so stay vulnerable to criticism. People in authority should always stay close to those for whom they are responsible, and encourage true and simple meetings. If they stay aloof, they cannot know their people or their people’s need.”

The leader of the L’Arche community in Canada, Vanier continues, “It is important that people in authority reveal themselves as they are and to share their difficulties and weaknesses. If they try and hide these, one day people will see their faults and become angry. After having put their leaders on a pedestal, they may throw them into the pit. Leaders have to be seen as fallible and human, but at the same time as trusting and trying to grow. If leaders are to be true servants of communion, they must themselves be in communion with other people as a person, not as a leader. They must set the example of sharing.” (Community and Growth, pages 227-228)

Vanier is very fond of describing community as a body. In this model, he believes that the leader does not exercise authority from above. Instead, the leader leads with others and amongst others. It reminds me of today’s passage from the Philippians when Paul writes that with “humility we are to regard others as better than ourselves” looking not to our own interests but to the interests of others.

Now, I would not be truthful if I did not confess that there have been times in my ministry where I wanted to hide. But throughout my ministry, and  especially in the last six years, I have been blessed by having a couple of close friends on my staff and in the congregation who were willing to step into my office, knock me off my pedestal, cajole me if needed, and occasionally give me a good swift kick in the ass, metaphorically speaking! (Nancy, Nicole, Cheryl, Faison, and Lou) I am grateful that these friends refuse to take me so seriously, to see me as I truly am and to have the courage from time to time to bring me back to earth. The flip side of all of this is that I had a great trust and confidence in these people and knew without question that they loved me. That I believe is a critical key to resisting the urge to hide.

Love One Another - Brian

Two Quotes on the Theme of Hiding

Hiding leads nowhere except to more hiding.

Margaret A. Robinson

No matter how much care we put into hiding our passions under the appearances of devotion and honor, they can always be seen to peer out through these covers.

Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Source: Inspirationfalls.com

Philippians 2:1-4

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Epiphany 1 - Wednesday

Text: John 1:35-42 (see below)

Continuing our conversation on leadership in the Church.

I don’t get it. Why is evangelism so difficult for leaders in the church these days? It seems as if many leaders in the Church are embarrassed to actually invite someone to enter into a relationship with Jesus. Is it because leaders are ashamed of the product we are presenting to the world? Is it because too many of our church leaders have never had a relationship with the living God? Are we mortified by what we sometimes see happening in our congregations? Were our leaders not trained properly in seminary for the proclamation of the Gospel? What gives?

I also find it humorous how much money the institutional church spends on advertising and marketing campaigns these days. We try to come up with catchy slogans and slick phrases believing that this will entice the average person to walk boldly through our front doors and into the sanctuary. One domination leads with: “God Accepts All People – So Do We. No Matter Whom You Are Or Where You Are On Life’s Journey – Welcome Here.”  That is simply too long for me to remember, yet have to repeat!

My own denomination, the Episcopal Church, is currently using the following on billboards:

·         Welcome….regardless

·         God Loves You, No Exceptions

·         If You Are Looking For A Sign From God, Here It Is

·         Love God. Love Your Neighbor, Change the World.

While I admire the fourth slogan (it is more of a mission statement than evangelism), the other three statements seem absolutely hollow to me: Welcome to what? God Loves You (duh?). And I simply do not understand, “If you are looking for a sign from God….” Is anybody running numbers on how many persons have joined a church due to these marvelous campaigns?

You know what I admire most about Jesus and his style of leadership, he kept it amazingly simple. In the first chapter of the Fourth Gospel, two of John the Baptist’s disciples decide to leave their master and follow Jesus.  When they finally catch up to Jesus and ask him where he was staying, Jesus did not pull out some glossy advertising campaign or polished slogan. He did not quiz these two fellows on the doctrine of the Incarnation. What did he do? Jesus said simply, “Come and See.” Those two disciples of John followed Jesus that day, the text is even clear as to what time it actually was, and their lives were forever transformed by that encounter with the living God.

“Come and See.” Say it with me….. “Come and See.”

Is that so difficult to declare to someone who is seeking for a better life? Is that so hard to articulate to a person who desires to be included? Is that so problematical to say to someone who is hurting emotionally, spiritually or physically? Are we ashamed of the Gospel that we do not want to offer such a gracious and simple invitation? What is our fear?

An important thing to remember is simply this: You and I will NEVER convert anyone into following Jesus. That is not our job. The conversion of souls is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. If you do not believe me, read the Book of Acts which is found in the New Testament. Our job as disciples, as leaders of the Church, is to “throw seeds” – invitations to all persons to come and see.

“Come and See.” The Church of Jesus Christ has so much to offer seekers of the truth, folks who are hurting, and persons who feel as if they are on the margins of society. What I love about my church is the opportunity to meet God day in and day out in the mystery of the sacraments, in the prayers of the people, in the proclamation of the Word made Flesh, and in the compassionate embrace of fellow Christians who believe and support me in times when I cannot believe or support myself.  Wow…. There is nothing like the Church of Jesus Christ.

Following in the example of my Master, let me invite you to experience what I have come to know about a power greater than myself which can heal and make whole all of my being. Are you interested?

Come and See….

Love One Another - Brian

Drawing all Humanity to Christ

C.S. Lewis

The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.

Source: Mere Christianity

John 1:35-42

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).

Epiphany 1 - Tuesday - Feast of William Laud

Text:  Isaiah 6:1-8 (see below)

In yesterday’s post I began to reflect on Jesus’ example of servant leadership. Today, I want to continue those thoughts about leadership in the church and the call to be servants one to another. This way of leading is so contrary to much of what the world believes to be true. However, servant leadership seems to me the only way to renew the church and make a path into the future.

Jean Vanier is the founder of the world famous L’Arche community for mentally handicapped and their helpers. Twenty-three years ago, I was introduced to his book, Community and Growth, an amazing collection of thoughts about the essence of true community. This is no boring stale thesis treating the subject in some systematic way, but a brilliant literary contribution that serves to act as a starting point for reflection and conversation on the nature and meaning of community.

Well into the book, Vanier writes about the servant leader. Here is a small sample of his reflections:

“Jesus is the model of authority for Christians. On the night before he died, he washed the disciples’ feet like a common slave. Peter was shocked out of his wits by this gesture. And then Jesus told his disciples that they should do likewise: ‘Blessed are you if you do what I have done.’ This is such a different way of exercising authority and goes against our wish to be superior and above others. Jesus leads by going lower than others. We truly need the Spirit of Jesus to teach us to be humble servants of communion….

“People who assume responsibility should remember that, in the perspective of the Gospel, it is the poorest people who are the most precious and close to God, not the leaders. It is they whom God has chosen to confound the strong and who are the heart of Christian community….

 “People with responsibility must always be concerned for the minorities in a community and those who have no voice, listening to them, and interpreting for them. The leaders must defend individuals because the interests of the individual must never be sacrificed to those of the group. A community is always built around people; people should not be shaped to suit community….

“The leader is the guardian of unity. He or she must thirst for unity and work for it day and night. For this, the leader must not fear conflict, but rather accept it and strive to be an instrument of reconciliation; the leader must be in contact with all the different elements in the community, and particularly with those who are in pain or who are angry with the community….

“To be a servant leader is to be more concerned with people than for the institution. There is always an institutional aspect to a community: things have to be done, work must go on, the accounts must be administered wisely, etc. It is a bad sign when leaders become more preoccupied by the institutional aspect than by the growth of people” (Community and Growth, pages 212-215)

I have always thought the Jean Vanier was on to something and had important things to say to the Church. Servant leadership is one aspect of being an effective leader. I will look at another aspect of leadership tomorrow when Jesus states: “Come and see.” Write and tell me what you are thinking.

Love One Another – Brian

God's Love and Our Weaknesses

Thomas Keating

The experience of God's love and the experience of our weaknesses are correlative. These are the two poles that God works with as God gradually frees us from immature ways of relating. The experience of our desperate need for God's healing is the measure to which we experience God's infinite mercy. The deeper the experience of God's mercy, the more compassion we will have for others.

Source: Invitation to Love

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’

Epiphany 1 - Monday

Text: Mark 10:42-45 (see below)

Today the Church remembers a woman responsible for the creation of a marvelous ministry known as the United Thank Offering, more often called UTO. Julia Chester Emery was raised in a New England household. Her father was a ship captain and her numerous siblings were all involved in the ministry of the Church. Two of her brothers went on to become priests and her sisters worked for mission groups. Julia became the National Secretary for the Women’s Auxiliary of the Board of Missions and served for forty years in that capacity from 1876-1916.

Julia was a champion for missions, visiting every Episcopal diocese in the nation, travelling to Europe and Asia, spreading the Good News of God and supporting new endeavors for missions across the globe. She created the United Thank Offering which many churches still use to this very day. A small blue box with a slit in the top is given to all who desire it to be placed at home. When a person feels thankful for something, they are encouraged to place a few coins in the box. Once a year these gifts are collected and sent on to be used for the work of mission around the world.

What strikes me about Julia is her sense of servant ministry.  There has been much talk about servant leadership both inside and outside of the Church. But here in the life of Julia Emery, we have an example of what servant ministry is all about. Julia showed the way of love to others by example and with advocacy. The selfless leader is one who risks his or her own fate in order to do what is right.

That sounds a lot like Jesus? No? The Master said: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This is a key verse in the Gospel of Mark. Throughout the wonderful Gospel story, Mark portrays Jesus as the servant of all persons. Jesus stooped down and became involved with the hurt of those whom he met and through those encounters lives were transformed and healed.

Some accuse Jesus of being a weak leader: “He was so meek and mild.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus was an example of a leader with authenticity and strength because he dared to lay aside his life, day in and day out, entering into the human drama, loving the hurt of this world and doing something about it. Jesus’ example of leadership is a model for us all. By embracing this way, we will find our true selves.

I am going to write more on this subject of leadership in the Church in the next few days. But, for now, that is enough.

Love One Another - Brian

Love Is a Practice

Roy Howard

Love is a practice, not a belief and certainly not just a feeling. Love is a set of habits learned over a lifetime. I'm reminded of the story of two rabbis in conversation over drinks. The one says, "Do you love me?" 

The other answers, "Yes, of course."

"Do you know what hurts me?"

"No, how could I know that?"

And his friend responds, "You can't love me if you don't know what hurts me."

When I heard that story it occurred to me that this is how it is when we love God and love neighbor. God says to us, "How can you love me if you don't know what hurts me?"

What hurts God? A polluted creation, hungry children, broken families and lost people, wandering fearful and without hope. When we connect our lives with the things that hurt God, we actually grow in our love for God. It's this essential connection that we desire in our common life together. This is stewardship with love at the center. To borrow a phrase, all you need is love. Love God, love neighbor. Love yourself. 

Source: Sermon (The Stewardship of Love) Oct. 23 2011 at Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville MD

Mark 10:42-45

Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’