Branded, Bathed and Claimed

We had a baptism at Mount Vernon Place yesterday morning. When we gathered for worship yesterday, we welcomed a new family into the midst of our congregation and a precious child into the household of God.
Out of all of the events a pastor gets to participate in or provide leadership for, baptisms are my favorite. Allowing water to touch the head of an adult or a child as I say the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" sends chills up and down my spine every time. Each time I participate in a baptism, I realize again that I am not worthy of being a pastor. Every time I ask God to pour forth the Holy Spirit upon the water for baptism or upon the bread and the juice for the Eucharist, I realize that there is this extraordinary power that has nothing to do with me - but that somehow, I get to share the power. What a blessing.

I love participating in a baptism! Baptisms remind me of the newness of life that is possible for all of us through Christ. Through baptism we are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation and receive a portion of our inheritance as children of God. And, all of this is a gift - a gift offered to us without price. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves worthy of being cleansed of our sin. There is no amount of money that we can pay for membership in Christ's Kingdom. We are all welcome -- branded, bathed and claimed -- regardless of who we are, what we have done, or what we have left undone.

But there is something else I love about a baptism. At a baptism, the entire congregation promises to help raise the child. The entire congregation vows to tell the child the stories of Jesus. We all promise to life a live that demonstrates to others what it looks like to love God and neighbor. We promise to always welcome the child home - to be there for the child when life seems uncertain, when he is doubting his faith, or when he needs to be loved and accepted just as he is.

And through all of this -- I am able to remember my baptism and to be thankful. What a precious gift.

Thank you, God, for Ryan and his family - the newest members of Mount Vernon Place. May we tell them the stories of Jesus - not only with our words but with our actions. May we be the family he needs to support him, love him and encourage him in this journey called life. May we respond to the grace you lavish upon us each day by becoming the people you have called us to be. What a privilege. Amen.

A Trophy

Two new signs were installed at the church last week. The signs are rather large and imposing. No one can possibly walk by the property without seeing them. The signs were created by the new owners of the property as the first stage of advertising for the new building - 901 K. The signs are designed to capture the attention of future tenants who may wish to occupy a space in the new building attached to the church.

There is one thing on the sign that got me very excited - the delivery date. The date mentioned on the sign is second quarter 2009. This timeline is a little earlier than what we anticipated. I later learned that this date is the "substantial completion date" and not necessarily the date when we can all move into the building. Oh well...

In addition to the delivery date, there are other words on the sign that captured my attention - "Trophy Office Space." The new building in which the church will own and occupy 25,000 square feet will be filled with trophy office space. I have learned that in order for office space to be labeled "trophy" it must have stunning architecture, a great location, a beautiful lobby, and impeccable service. If a building is to be considered a trophy building, it must be the kind of building that stands out - over and above the rest.

I'll be the first to admit that the signs make me a little uncomfortable. I am still getting used to the idea that this place will be the best of the best. Still, I hope the signs achieve their purpose of attracting future tenants to 901 K - people who will love this part of downtown as much as we do. We want the project to be successful for everyone who is involved.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what a trophy church looks like. Many people would say that in order to be a trophy church, the church must have thousands of members - the church must be a megachurch. Other people might say that in order to be trophy church the church must have cutting-edge programs for every age group and multi-media presentations whenever the congregation gathers. Still other people would say that in order to be a trophy church you must occupy a trophy building - a building that is the best of the best.

For the last three weeks, we have been examining the Acts 2 church in our Sunday morning worship. The Acts 2 church is one of the first churches. It is formed after the apostle Peter preaches a cutting -edge sermon that cuts people to the heart. The people respond to what they have heard by changing their lives. They repent. They turn around from the ways of the world and walk towards the newness that Christ offers. They form an amazing community. Acts 2:42 reads, "They devote themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." The chapter continues, "Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common, they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need."

The people in this community of faith devote themselves to learning as much as they can about God's word. They enjoy one another's company and fellowship often. They break bread together - sharing meals together. They pray together. And, they make sure that every one is taken care of. They make sure that no one has a need that is not tended to.

Can you imagine such a community? I can. I have been imagining such a community on the corner of 9th and Massachusetts since I first learned about the possibility of being appointed as the pastor of Mount Vernon Place. I have been imagining a community that studies the Bible together in an effort to grow in our faith. I have been imagining a community that enjoys being with one another and accepts one another just as they are. I have been imagining a community that breaks bread together - both at the Lord's Supper, in front of a movie on Friday nights, and at potluck dinners on Sunday afternoons. And, I have been imagining a community that looks both inside its doors and especially outside its doors to see where there are people who are in need. The people in my vision then go and take care of the needs of others.

This idea is my idea of a trophy church. Perhaps a trophy church will one day occupy a piece of the trophy office space. Can you imagine? I can.

Help! I am Marrying the Pastor!!!!

Craig and I have been doing a lot of wedding planning in recent weeks. We have booked the wedding site, the reception site, a florist, and a photographer. We have looked at websites for honeymoons and song lists for DJs. We have ordered samples of invitations and started to compose guest lists. We have laughed and we have argued. We have taken delight and we have gotten a little overwhelmed. It has been a journey.

In the midst of all of the wedding planning, we have also had several conversations about what it means to be married to the pastor.

I have long realized that it would take a very special man to want to spend his life with me. As a United Methodist, I am an itinerant pastor - someone who has vowed to move when called - to pick up our belongings, our children, and our lives and move to the place where the bishop feels I can best serve. As a pastor, I have taken a vow to practice celibacy until married. As a pastor, I am on call when there is an emergency - I can be called out an any hour of the day or night to the hospital, to a home, to the roadside. As a pastor, I live a life that is often scrutinized by others. People watch me. They listen to what comes from my mouth. They look at my grocery cart to see what I am buying. They examine my dress. As a pastor, there are certain expectations that are placed upon my life that are not placed upon the lives of others - I am to live a model life. And, as a pastor, I know that Sundays go much more smoothly if I am in bed by 10:00 on Saturday night which means that we miss parties and opportunities to go away for the weekend.

There are times when I wonder why anyone would want to live this life. There are times when the pressures of this life consume the best of me, and I want to throw my arms into the air and go into real estate sales or property development instead. But then something happens. I stand before the eclectic flock God has given me to serve and share the Good News with them only to have someone tell me what a difference the words made in their week. I go to the hospital room and recognize that I was not only invited there but I was summoned there - I was summoned to be in a place where life begins and life ends - to walk on ground that is so holy that no one really deserves to walk upon it. I hold a baby in my arms and repeat the words, "I baptize you in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" and realize that there is this extraordinary power that does not belong to me but that I have been entrusted to share. I offer to people a bit of bread and a sip of juice, watching as the one who is partaking realizes that her sins are forgiven once and for all. I listen as people confess their sins and then joyfully walk into the new life Christ offers. And, I journey alongside men and women who are searching for something larger than themselves. These reasons are why I love being a pastor. These reasons are the ones that give me joy even though I cannot escape to New York City or the beach for the weekend.

But what about this man who has accepted my call? How is it that my partner adapts to this radical and unusual lifestyle?

Craig has done a beautiful job of accepting me for who I am and trying to understand my vocation. He has been editing my sermons each week since early in our relationship (a practice that I have learned is best done before Saturdays at 10:00 p.m. when Craig might respond, "Well, it's not your best work," leaving me up late into the night trying to make it better!). He has continued to practice his faith in his Catholic Church - a church that means a great deal to him and a church that he cherishes - while coming to Mount Vernon Place when I or someone else really wants him there. Yet, Craig has also made significant sacrifices. He has not gone to a party on a Saturday night in months. He knows that there are challenges with planning a wedding weekend when the bride is a pastor. He has gone away on a Friday, knowing that he would love to stay until Sunday but that we have to return on Saturday. He has allowed me to be at the church on some evenings when we would have rather enjoyed the evening together.

Oftentimes, people express gratitude to their pastors. They send the pastor notes of thanksgiving or appreciation. They bring the pastor gifts at Christmas. I am learning, however, that the one who stands alongside the pastor has offered just as much of his or her life to the church as the pastor. The one who is married to the pastor has given an equal sacrifice. The one who stands with the pastor is, well, an absolute treasure - a one of a kind - a gift from God.

Thank you, Craig, for your willingness to marry the pastor - to journey with me on this road called ministry.

Growing Up

When I graduated from junior high school and walked into the doors of Rock Bridge High School for the first time in 1996, I thought I was grown up. I had made one leap - a step from the doors of one school and into the doors of a school where people were making big decisions for their lives. I was "grown up."

I soon learned that there was a lot of pain associated with high school. People still teased me. I still struggled to fit in - to find a group of people where I could truly be myself. I was often left out of school dances. I was not invited to become a part of the club for popular girls. I ached at times, and I discovered that I was not as grown up as I thought. There were still times when I wanted nothing more than to crawl into the arms of my parents or simply sit at home.

When I graduated from Rock Bridge High School and went to college, I thought I was grown up. This was the milestone I had been waiting for - the one that would mark my becoming an adult. I loved college. College was a gift to me in so many ways. It is the place where I flourished. Still, there were times when I was hurt or lonely. There were times when I wanted nothing more than to go home and be in the all-embracing arms of my mother or father.

College graduation brought me to Washington. My time in Washington sent me to seminary. Seminary then sent me out into the world to proclaim the Good News. Throughout each step there have been times to buy a house and times to sell a house, times to enter a relationship and times to end a relationship, times to save money and times to ask for some assistance. There have been heart aches and body aches. It seems as though no matter how old we are, there are always times when life presents us with growth opportunities - whether we want them or not.

Last Wednesday we took our weekly morning Bible study from the church to a retirement community in Northern Virginia. The construction at the church has taken away our parking, making it very difficult for our older adults to get into the city during the week. We have therefore moved the group study to a place where three of the participants live and a place where everyone else can find a parking spot. Our Bible study that typically attracts six or seven people grew to eleven people on Wednesday morning. We were able to greet many new faces, welcoming them into the midst of our fold.

We studied the Bible for an hour, with Nathan leading us on a discussion of Jeremiah. We then got to the time where we ask everyone in the room, "How can we pray for you this week?" As each person shared, I was reminded that our "growing up" is never really over - that there are still aches and pains associated with life transitions no matter what age we are - whether we are 16 or 86.

One person asked for prayers for her husband who has Parkinson's and her mother who is 103, in addition to asking for comfort as she adjusts to life in her new community with her husband being cared for in another state.

One person asked that at the age of 85 he would be the man his mother wanted him to be.

Two people asked for prayers for their great-children who are caught in the seduction of alcohol or in the middle of a child custody battle.

And one person asked that he would be a better Christian.

No matter how old we are, we still have times when we want nothing more to be held by a parent who puts their arms around us and says, "Everything is going to be okay. Do not worry. I am with you, and I am going to remain with you through the storm."

While our parents may not alway be around to offer their arms of love and tender words of mercy, we do have a God who is both father and mother - a parent who will never ever leave us or forsake us. We have a God who is always far more ready to comfort us than we are able to ask for comfort. We have someone to whom we can always return.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

RUALERT

We celebrated a birthday at Mount Vernon Place yesterday. Howard Martin turned 99 years old. Howard joined Mount Vernon Place in the 1940s when he came to Washington from Norfolk, Virginia. A lifelong Methodist, it did not take him long to find the bustling community alive and well at Mount Vernon Place. He'll be quick to tell you all about the church and how it grew in the 1940s and 50s under the leadership of Dr. John Rustin. And, Howard has played a crucial role in the church since he joined. He is part of the reason why MVPUMC hosted the Geriatric Daycare Center, a day facility for older adults in DC who suffer with Alzheimer's, Dementia, arthritis and loneliness, many of whom are at or below the poverty level. He is one of the reasons why the church has long supported ministries for the poor and suffering in Washington. And, he is one of the reasons that the doors of Mount Vernon Place are still open today - he has not once given up on his church even though he has watched the membership go from over 4500 people in 1960 to less than 100 individuals today. In fact, when his children tried to get him to move to Texas, he said there was no way he was going to leave his church. His church is his life - his family - an integral part of his story.

I have been blessed to share a few hours with Howard every Wednesday. He is part of our weekly Bible study, and he and another member, Lois, drive in from Northern Virginia to downtown Washington each Wednesday morning for Bible study. And, it is this place where I have grown to love and appreciate Howard the most.

It was at Bible study that Howard brought me a book on how to be a better orator. He told me, "You can be the best preacher in the city if you will just reach this book." He then said, "When Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address he did not say 'Four score and seven years ago' as fast as he could. Instead, he said, 'Fooooouuuurrrr Scccoooorreee and Seeevvveeennn Yeeeaaarrrssss Agggoooo.' You get the point? And while I have not read the book, Howard tells me that he can understand me better now - that I have learned to slow down so he can hear me.

It was at Bible study where I learned the concerns of Howard's heart. We close Bible study each week asking each person what they want us to pray for. Howard's request is almost always the same, "I just want God to help me be a better person." He'll then be quick to point out the places where God has blessed him through the years - with three sons, good health, lots of friends, a great church, and plenty of security. If he ever asks for a prayer for himself, it is for God to watch over him when he drives - that God will keep him from getting a ticket or an accident because he wants to keep his driver's licence. And, Lois, a 93 year old, is the one who keeps him awake when he is driving!

Howard's licence plate reads, "RUALERT." While we have laughed that the people following him need to be alert behind this 99 year old man who is driving his car, I also believe that RUALERT could stand for something else.

Howard is always alert to God's presence in his life. He knows that every perfect gift comes from God above. He realizes that all he has belongs to God, and that he is a steward of it - his time, his health, his body, his resources. He understands that the greatest joy on this earth is helping another person. He is alert to all of this goodness and grace.

Perhaps we could all learn a lesson from Howard. RUALERT?

Some People Go to Church Every Day

I spent time last weekend with my grandparents in Missouri. Grandma and Grandpa have been married for 66 years and they still farm just south of the Iowa line. While Grandma is legally blind, she knows the lay of the land well enough to mow the lawn so perfectly that you can see the lines coming down from the old red barn.

The red barn was one of my favorite places as a child. It is a place where we would go every morning to gather eggs with Grandma, check on the young livestock, and feed the countless kittens who slept there at night. And while the contents of the barn have changed significantly during the years, there are some things that never change.


We had biscuits and gravy every morning on the farm last weekend. If I was not awake already, someone was knocking on my door at 6:45 to tell me that breakfast was almost ready. Once the biscuits, gravy and sausage had been consumed, Grandma reminded us that there was cake and cookies in the kitchen - eating cake and cookies after breakfast is perfectly normal at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Grandma and Grandpa still create an amazing partnership. Grandma cooks and Grandpa does the dishes. Since Grandma's eyesight has deteriorated, Grandpa reads the mail, papers and magazines to Grandma, allowing her to learn more than she ever wanted to know about Grandpa's favorite subjects. And, Grandpa still thinks that this world is "going to hell in a hand basket." Things are only getting worse, according to Grandpa. The only chance of things getting better is if a Democrat is elected President in 2008, according to him.

And, Grandma and Grandpa will tell you that they go to church every day. While they rarely walk inside the doors of a church building, they will tell you how every day is an opportunity to worship God when one is in the middle of such beautiful creation. The yellow covering the body of the finches catches Grandma's eyes enough to let her know they are nearby. The smell of freshly cut crass is like incense pouring out of a sanctuary. The view from the screened porch of the sun rising above the horizon is enough to send forth God's presence upon her. "With all of this, who needs to go to church?" Grandma asks.

I left the farm early last Sunday morning to drive to Kansas City. The sun was starting to rise. I was the first one on the gravel road that day (and perhaps the only car to drive down the road since it was a Sunday). As a result, I saw about 15 bunnies go across the road. I then saw birds of all colors and sizes fly into the air. And, I looked back at the white farm house and the red barn one more time.

I later went to worship at a large church in Kansas City. And while the worship was beautiful and impressive, my mind kept returning to scenes from the farm.

"The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." Psalm 24:1

Casts, Crutches and Cancer

We concluded a ten-week sermon series yesterday on "Why Does the Bible Include That?" This series has been a blessing to me as I have wrestled with so many issues and verses that raise more questions than they do answers. In the last two and one-half months, we have talked about divorce, homosexuality, money, abortion, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, submission, and God's chosen people. And while I look forward to the next series, I am a little sad to see this one come to an end.

Yesterday's sermon received several comments and provoked many people to share their thoughts with me. Here it is:

Casts, Crutches and Cancer: Living with Illness and Disabilities:

On a Sunday in January I asked for prayers for my stepfather. It was a Sunday morning on which I had received a call from my sister letting me know that Red (as we affectionately call him) was not doing well and was being taken by ambulance to the nearest city. I asked you to pray, and we prayed for him during the worship service. I later learned that the time at which we prayed was the exact moment that the doctors thought they were losing him -- as his heart rate had escalated, while his blood pressure had dropped, leaving him in a very sick state. While it looked like death was on the horizon, he rallied that day.

When Monday morning arrived, I was tied into a conference call with my entire family and the pastor of my parents’ church. During that call, the pastor prayed a profound prayer, one invoking several of the scriptures that specifically mention healing. He then said, “God, we ask that you do a miraculous thing this day. At the end of this day, we expect for the doctors to come in and say, ‘We’re not sure what happened. We cannot explain it. But this man is fine.’”

At the end of the day on Monday, this prayer was answered. The doctors came in and said, “He is fine.” One moment it seemed as though we were about to lose this beloved member of our family and several moments later, he was fine – more than fine, in fact.

As followers of Jesus, we believe in the power of prayer. We believe that our God is a healing God – that God has the power to touch the sick and make them healthy and whole. Still, not all sickness and disease goes away. Not everyone is healed of their ailments.

While in Missouri last week, I reconnected with some friends from college and high school, in addition to an aunt with whom I have not spoken in a while. Each one of these conversations revealed an utter sense of pain, as my friends and my aunt spoke of a need for healing – a healing that has not yet happened.

Aunt Doris and Uncle Howard live in Gastonia, North Carolina. They are beautiful people with accents to match. They have been married for some 60 years and have enjoyed a wonderful life with their three sons and extended family. Uncle Howard is not doing well, however. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a year or so ago and is rapidly deteriorating. He does not always recognize his wife or his sons. He does not want to change his clothes or take a bath. His favorite thing is to sit in front of the television set with his eyes glued to whatever is on the screen. Meanwhile, Aunt Doris does her best to care for this once incredibly competent person. She shared with me on the phone how tired she is. “I’m exhausted,” she said. “Please keep us in your prayers.”

I do not understand Alzheimer’s. In my mind, it is the cruelest infliction anyone can experience. Still, we all know someone whose life or whose family is affected by this horrible disease. In fact, a recent Newsweek article states how there are more than 5 million people living in this country today who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and the number could skyrocket to 15 million by 2050.

Why is there not a cure for Alzheimer’s? Where are you, Jesus, when we need to experience your healing instead of watching our family members befriending anyone at the grocery store while failing to remember the names of their spouse, children and grandchildren?

Last Sunday night, I had dinner with my friends, Scott and Mandy, in Kansas City. Mandy’s best friend is going through a living hell right now. Two years ago, her now eight-year-old son was hit in the head with a football. The injury to his eye soon revealed a greater sickness within his small head. A tumor was growing behind his eye – a fast growing, cancerous tumor.

The family has been all over the country in the last two years, visiting the best doctors in the nation. The tumor has responded to medicine at times, shrinking to the point where they believe that it might be gone - only to reappear a couple months later. Ben’s eye has been removed, and the tumor now grows out of the empty socket.

Ben’s mother questions where God is in times like this. In these final days, she is angry with God, asking why she has to say goodbye to a son who is only eight. If we hear of so many stories of healing in the Bible, then why has Jesus not touched Ben’s body, allowing him to do the things eight-year-olds do like playing ball and running through the sprinkler and picking on their little sisters instead of lying in a bed, no longer wanting to eat or drink?

Our Bible is filled with accounts of how God is a healer. In fact, if you look up the word “healed” in a Bible concordance, you’ll find that it appears over seventy times in the Old and New Testaments.

The litany of proclamation that we read earlier today mentions God’s faithfulness time and again. God heals the Israelites who keep the commandments of the Lord. The Psalmist worships the Lord who forgives our iniquity and heals our diseases. Jeremiah speaks of a Balm in Gilead that heals the sick soul. Jesus is constantly going out and healing people in the gospel accounts – blind men, bleeding women, lame people and mute individuals. He even raises his friend, Lazarus, from the grave after he has been dead for four days. We know that Jesus is the master healer, but where is Jesus when we or our family members are suffering? Why do we have so many accounts of Jesus healing people while our loved ones suffer, some die much too soon?

When I mentioned to a friend yesterday what I was preaching on, he said “Please shoot me if I ever get Alzheimer’s.” We cannot stand the thought of causing so much affliction and pain on our family members. We do not like to watch people suffer. Being around people who are ill, old, dying or disabled sometimes makes us uncomfortable. When we see the suffering of another person we realize two things: 1) we have bodies that do not last forever – bodies with the capacity to become sick and deteriorate and 2) we cannot always make the suffering go away. Watching others grow old reminds us that from dust we all came and from dust we all shall return – that the only certainty in this life is that we will all one day die.

Our Gospel lesson tells of a man who has been blind since birth. As was the customary Jewish belief at this time, the disciples conclude that the man is blind because of the sins of his parents – because of something his parents did that they should not have done. Jesus’ response, however, is to tell the disciples that the man is not blind because of sin. In fact, sin has nothing to do with morals but instead everything to do with how one will respond to Jesus – to the revelation of God. And then we get a verse that is troubling – a sentence that makes me ask the question, “Why does the Bible have to include that?” Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.”

What exactly does this verse mean? Did God cause this man to be blind in order to prove something? Why would a man have to endure the inability to see for years in order that God’s glory might be revealed? How exactly does God work when it comes to healing?

If we continue to read this passage, we see how this miracle creates quite a stir in his community. No one can understand how this man who was blind from birth now has the power to see. The man tells the Pharisees over and over that it was Jesus who healed his eyes but no one will believe him. The Pharisees even drive the man out of the temple. And then Jesus says, “’I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’” Fred Craddock explains, “We learn that the blind see and the seeing are blind – no small matter both for life and theology.”

The blind see and the seeing are blind. Those who have enabled their lives to be touched by God are allowed to see – to experience the light that shines in the darkness with the darkness never overcoming it. While those who believe that they can see – those who have concluded that they can manage life on their own, without Jesus, are blind.

How easy it is to be a seeing person! It is so much easier to see than it is to be blind.

While I have never had to use crutches or a cast before, I know that in most cases, these tools are used to heal something that is broken in our bodies. Most people who use crutches and casts will have their bodies fully restored. The broken bone in the arm will come together again. The ankle that was sprained will be repaired. Bodies that rely upon crutches or are braced by a cast are in the process of restoration. The tool needed for healing has been found.

Cancer is not as easy to cope with, however. When a person has cancer she or he almost always has to live with some uncertainty regarding whether a full restoration will occur. A life with cancer often comes with someone having to give up a great deal as a cure is sought. Lunch hours are spent at the radiation lab. Breasts are removed. Hair is lost. And yet, the people in my life who have battled cancer are the ones who have taught me what it looks like to be a blind person who now sees – to know that a cure may not be found and that healing may not happen on this earth – but that God is faithful and just. The crutch enables us to rely upon the device of man, while cancer forces us to rely upon one who is greater than ourselves. The crutch allows us to keep our eyes closed to the one light that really matters, while the cancer forces us to know that the only light that can shine into the darkness of death is Christ.

A pastor told me a story this week of a tragedy that occurred in the life of his congregation. One of the teenagers in his congregation was brutally murdered. Pastor Adam was spending time with the parents of the teenager after the funeral was over and the child had been buried when the pastor asked the father how he was enduring the painful loss. The father looked at his pastor and said, “There is only one thing holding me together right now. I keep saying it over and over again.” The pastor looked at his grieving parishioner as the silence filling the room was interrupted by the father speaking familiar words.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.” The father said these words with tears in his eyes but then the tone of his voice began to change. He discovered strength when he continued to recite the historic creed. “The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. This is where my strength comes from,” the father explained.

We will not all be healed on this earth. While some of our aches and pains, disappointments and fears will be healed miraculously, others of us will continue to suffer or watch others suffer. But I believe that the words repeated over and over again by this father are true. And I believe that the ultimate healing – the healing that removes the crutches, the casts and the cancer – is coming. It was made possible on the day Jesus rose from the grave, and the healing will be fulfilled on the day he comes again – on the day we find ourselves resurrected and made whole.

Thanks be to God!

Our Purpose

I am in Kansas City this week, participating in a class at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. The Church of the Resurrection was started 17 years ago in a funeral home chapel. It now has over 12,000 members and has long been one of the fastest growing United Methodist Churches in the country. I have heard the pastor of the church, Adam Hamilton, speak often. I even had the opportunity to enjoy an Eastern North Carolina bar-b-que lunch with him one day when he was speaking at Duke. However, this week was my first time worshipping with the church.

I have never been in a sanctuary designed for 3600 people before. I have never been greeted by people wearing the same headsets as the individuals who work at the Gap wear. And, I have never watched a video screen more than I watched the pastor in worship before. There were parts of the service and the experience that I loved and there were other parts that would take a long time for me to fully appreciate. What I have learned this week, however, is how much we can learn from this extraordinary pastor and congregation.

The church is very clear about its purpose. The purpose of the Church of the Resurrection is "Building a Christian Community where non-religious and nominally religious people are becoming deeply committed Christians." Pastor Adam and his staff will tell you time and again about the ways in which they are attracting new people into the life of the church - people who have been turned off by the church, people who are non-practicing Catholics, people who were once Buddhists, people who want nothing to do with Jesus. They have built a church with people who first encountered Christ in a 3600 seat sanctuary. Everything centers around this vision - the vision of reaching non-religious and nominally religious people for Christ. There is even a sign above one of the doors that reads, "Let us never forget our purpose."

I have thought a lot this week about how many churches have no idea what their purpose is. Countless congregations have no vision or real understanding of why they exist. If I were to ask several members of the church I serve what the purpose of the church is, I bet there would be a dozen different responses.

By the grace of God, I have been reminded this week of the importance of casting a vision and recasting it time and again. I have been told again of the power of purpose - of the power of reminding individuals as to why we gather and for what purpose we are sent out on Sunday mornings.

The people at Mount Vernon Place are going to be reminded again this Sunday of our mission to "Share the Love of God in the Heart of the Nation's Capital with the Nation's Capital at heart." We are going to spend more time talking about what it looks like to share God's love and what's happening in the heart of the nation's capital. We are going to pray for God to show us how to be more faithful in sharing this love. We are going to be more intentional about living out this vision - our purpose. We have so much work to do.

Let us never forget our purpose.

All in a day...

A great deal of progress was made on the demolition project at Mount Vernon Place yesterday. When I arrived in the morning, one of the workers said, "Watch! It will all be down in an hour or so." I watched, and I watched and I watched. The process of tearing down the last portion of the building was fascinating. And while it took longer than an hour to get the rest of the building down, there is now a large pile of rubble where two buildings once stood. The rubble will be sorted the rest of this week with all of the materials being recycled.

The process of demolishing two buildings has taken a month or so to complete. The hardest part was separating the buildings to be demolished from the historic church on one side and a historic hotel on the other side. However, once the buildings were detached from the historic buildings, the project continued on a fast pace. And several times I have thought to myself, "Why can't the new building go up as quickly as the old buildings came down?"

There are several things in our lives that come down easily. It does not take much for a relationship to be destroyed. One unkind word can split a friendship in two. One case of bad judgement can ruin one's professional career. One decision can end a relationship. All in a day, a good thing can come to an end.

My former work supervisor cautioned me often on my tendency to externally process things. Greg pointed out how I tend to share my thoughts out loud instead of keeping them to myself. Several thoughts should have never escaped my lips. They should have been kept in my mind, instead. Greg told me time and again to be careful what I said. I wonder how many things I tore down with words that should have never been said out loud.

We also make bad judgments when it comes to actions we take towards others or things we purchase or decisions we make. We have all torn down things - our bank account, the trust of others, our image, our marriages, our self esteem - because of things we did that we should not have done. It does not take long to tear something down. How many times have you written an email that should have never been sent?

I laughed when I was in the construction trailer yesterday and noticed a drawing on the board. It is a drawing that shows the demolition and excavation work to be completed. It shows what needs to be removed between the church and the hotel in order for something new to emerge. We are not as careful about tearing things down in our own lives. We do them, and then see the big hole left as a result.

It is going to take two years for a building to be built on top of the place where the rubble now stands. It will take two years to create something new. We do not always have the option to start all over in this life. There are people who will never forgive us for what we have done to them when we tore something apart - trust, relationship, stability, reliability.

Yet, there is one who always provides a clean slate. There is one for whom nothing we do can keep him from loving us and yearning for us to come home. I am thankful that no matter how much demolition I have done in my life, Jesus still longs to be in relationship with me, to build me up, and to accept me just as I am. Like a little pile of clay, the master potter is never done with his creation.

Thanks be to God!

songs, dances and parties

I am in Chicago for a couple of days, spending time with 20 young seminary students through the Fund for Theological Education. The program is called the "Congregational Leadership Intensive," and these young adults have been brought together to talk about pastoral leadership.

We started last night with a conversation on what energizes us. Each participant was asked to share the place where she or he gets fed or receives energy. One woman said, "Do you ever have a song in your heart that no one else can hear?" A young man said, "I leave my church every Sunday wanting to dance!" Still another person said, "When a party goes well it is a neat feeling of being together."

I love these comments. I loved hearing them especially on a Sunday evening on which we had experienced a magnificent worship service at Mount Vernon Place. Several things happened yesterday that made me have a song in my heart and a dance in my feet.

* We had several members come back who have not been in church for months, including many children who lined up to offer hugs and stood at the table greeting people. It is always good to welcome people home.

* We struggled together over a difficult passage and the topic of money and wealth as our sermon series on "Why Does the Bible Include That" continued.

* We shared with one another what God is doing in our lives while also letting people know the burdens and the hurts we are carrying.

* We placed our hands on a young couple who used to be part of our church family but now live in Boston. The husband is about to go to Iraq as a member of the Army National Guard while the wife is in law school. We invited them to come forward, we placed a shawl around them that had been knitted for them by a member of the church in our prayer shawl ministry, and we prayed for them. Children came forward to pray. People in the 90s came forward to pray. Young adults came forward to pray. People who know them came forward to pray. And people who had only heard about them came forward to pray. We wrapped them in our love and in our prayers, and placed their care under the hand of the Almighty God.

When the service had ended, I wanted to dance! I wanted to leap for joy, knowing that I had experienced the presence and power of God. I had a song in my heart that I was eager to share. I had a really neat feeling of being together.

Thanks be to God!

Rubble

The demolition has been in full operation this week at Mount Vernon Place. I have been amazed at what has been accomplished. The 1940 building is completely down, and the 1958 building should be down by the end of the week. I'll write more later...for now, take a look at the progress!

Rocking the Boat

Preaching is the thing I enjoy most about being a pastor. I love to stand before the gathered community of God, seeking to offer a Word that will be hopeful, helpful and formational. There are times when I stand before the people on Sunday, preach a sermon and then sit down and say, "Well that was a flop." There are other times when I preach a sermon and cannot get over the comments people share with me when they walk out the door, surprised to hear how the message impacted them. And there are other times when I am preaching to the gathered community of faith and then somehow find myself hearing the sermon, too. Yesterday was one such day.

It was the seventh sermon in a series called, "Why Does the Bible Include That?" Yesterday's topic was "Women, Children and Slaves vs. Men, Parents and Landowners: Am I Really Supposed to be Submissive?" As part of the sermon, I reviewed the history of Mount Vernon Place UMC, looking again at the formation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South and how we were founded as the "representative church" for this denomination - a denomination that started over the issue of slavery because the Southern Church wanted to be able to hold slaves in 1844. Over $200,000 was sent to Washington in 1917 to build our monumental church - a structure that has stained glass in every window - including the windows in the bathrooms. This money came from people who believed that they were first class citizens while people of color were second class citizens. It came from people who believed that it was okay to wave the Confederate Flag or treat people of color like "less thans."

But then something happened. The congregation began to change. The people who made Mount Vernon Place their home began to do things that were against the cultural norm, let alone the teachings and beliefs of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Mount Vernon Place became one of the first places in the city where integrated audiences could enjoy the theatre together in a space below our sanctuary. Mount Vernon Place began to welcome people of color when no one else would. The people who joined this church rocked the boat! They knew what they were taught by their denomination and by the culture around them, but they did something else. They became a sign of God's Kingdom at the corner of 9th and Massachusetts.

We have recently been getting our finances in order at the church. What I have discovered is how different groups opened their own accounts at certain times in history instead of being part of the church's main operating account. One of these groups is the Social Concerns Commission. The Commission has played an active role in the church for decades. They once hired a full time social worker to be in community with the homeless in the neighborhood. Mary hosted Men on Mondays and Women on Wednesdays for the neighbors in the community. The Social Concerns Commission welcomed the poor, they fed the hungry, clothed the naked and gave the thirsty a drink. They were instrumental in hosting the Downtown Cluster's Geriatric Daycare Center in our building for many, many years. The Commission opened its own account, however, because they found the church to be too conservative. The leadership of the church would not allow them to do what they really wanted to do with their money. The leadership would not allow them to be the Body of Christ in the fullest possible sense of the word, so the Commission rocked the boat. They established their own account and their own budget in order to do the things Christ had called them to do.

I have just returned from the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Western North Carolina is my home conference. It is the place where I first fell in love with being a pastor. It is the place that nurtured my call to ministry and told me about my gifts for ministry. It is the place where I have so many clergy colleagues with whom I have shared so much. It is a place that I love visiting and a place that causes me to be teary-eyed each time I leave. I love Western NC.

While at Annual Conference, we tended to the business of electing delegates to the General and Jurisdictional Conference. I am thrilled that the delegation includes more women than men and that it is a diverse delegation. These elections were exciting. The rest of Conference, however, left me sad.

One of the first pieces of legislation that we dealt with was regarding the amount of furniture that should be in clergy parsonages. It was clear that the Cabinet had spent a great deal of time on this matter. People argued over whether or not the required 4-bedroom homes should have furniture provided or furniture that the pastor brings with them. It seemed as though everyone took for granted the blessing of having a 4-bedroom home. Where I live, people who live in 4-bedroom homes are considered rich. In most places in this world, people with 4-bedroom homes would be considered extremely wealthy. In South Africa, anyone with an extra bedroom is expected to open it to the poor. However, the argument last week was not about whether or not our pastors need 4-bedroom homes or how best to be good stewards of our property by sharing it with those in need. The argument was sadly about furniture.

The majority of the petitions offered to the Conference dealt with homosexuality. Some delegates to the Conference wanted to affirm our church's position that our churches are welcome and open to all of God's children. Other delegates wanted to close the doors of our church a little tighter. We spent so much time and energy on talking about who could be excluded and who could be included.

I heard a lot about what "Jesus said" on issues that Jesus never once mentions in the Bible. I did not, however, hear what "Jesus said" when it came time to discuss matters that Jesus really said something about.

What would it look like to rock the boat today?

When is it appropriate to stand up and say, "I know what I have been taught, and I know what culture reinforces, but I just cannot believe that our church today is how Jesus intended it to be." When is it time to stand up and say, "Why should pastors be required to live in a 4-bedroom house?" or "How can we continue to be a prophetic church while paying our District Superintendents $92,000, providing them with a $17,000 housing allowance and a $3,000 utility allowance?" Does Jesus not have a word or two to say about wealth and stuff and possessions?

I am so thankful that the members of Mount Vernon Place rocked the boat. They cleared the path for the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic congregation that now gathers at Mount Vernon Place. Yesterday, our Minister of Music pointed out how we have someone in the congregation from Taiwan, someone from the Philippines, someone from Hungary, someone from Sierra Leone, someone from Japan, someone from India, and the list goes on and on. We have rich people and we have poor people. We have people who have it all together and we have people who are mentally ill. We have old people and we have young people. We are the Body of Christ.

God, help us to listen for your still, small voice again. Enable us to see your vision for your church. Forgive us if we have stepped too far away from the community you called us to be. Forgive us if we have been silent when we should have spoken up. Thank you for the men and women who have carried your Good News into places where they were not accepted but rather condemned. Thank you for people who have been instrumental in making sure that your Gospel was a liberating word - a word that set the captives free wherever they are. Lord, while I find it scary to ask you, I do humbly ask that you would help me to speak up and to speak out when your voice needs to be heard. Give me the courage to rock the boat when the boat has traveled too far from you. Give me the courage to rock the boat when the boat has been idle for too long. And please, Lord, be with your beloved United Methodist Church as we move towards General Conference and seek to discuss matters that tell others who we really are and whether our doors, our hearts and our minds are really open or too closed to the world around us. Amen.

A full text of yesterday's sermon can be found here.

Quite a Community

I love the church, and I specifically love the church I am privileged to be a part of. Each week, I see more and more transformation taking place whether it is the way people are interacting with one another, the concerns they are bringing with them, the ways in which issues like immigration reform are being raised, the new faces in the congregation, the phone calls I get between Sundays about prayers being answered, the young couple who came with their infant baby yesterday because they want him to be baptized, or the two 90+ year-olds who have just gotten new Bibles because they have fallen in love again with the reading of scripture. Something is happening at Mount Vernon Place - not just with our buildings - but with us - and I am glad to be able to witness it.

And while we have a ways to go to reach N.T. Wright's description of the church, I would love to have someone describe our church this way:

"It's a place of welcome and laughter, of healing and hope, of friends and family and justice and new life. It's where the homeless drop in for a bowl of soup and the elderly stop by for a chat. It's where one group is working to help drug addicts and another is campaigning for global justice. It's where you'll find people learning to pray, coming to faith, struggling with temptation, finding new purpose, and getting in touch with a power to carry that purpose out. It's where people bring their own small faith and discover, in getting together with others to worship the one true God, that the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts."

N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, New York: HarperCollins, 2006, 123.

You know their names?

The demolition process has continued this week at Mount Vernon Place. Bits and pieces of the two additions are being stripped away from the historic church building. It is a fascinating process to observe, and we see people stopping all throughout the day to simply watch the buildings coming down, piece by piece.

Enough of the buildings are down that the fence had to be extended yesterday. A tall fence now circles the entire church property, extending all along the sidewalk and park boundaries. It took nearly all day for workers to get the fence in place, and a couple of our neighbors got fenced inside in the process.

I was outside with some of the construction workers when I heard one of them say, "We are getting rid of all of the bums today. No one will be able to stay here anymore." Our administrative assistant, Carol, and I quickly corrected them saying, "They are not bums. They are our neighbors."

I then called out to Esau, one of the neighbors who was fenced inside - showing him how to get out. I then asked about Dennis' blankets and Michael's stuff. After mentioning three of the neighbors, one of the workers said, "You know their names?" He had a hard time believing that we actually knew these people - that we could call some of the individuals who sleep nearby by name. "Of course we know their names," I said. "We see them every single day. They are our closest neighbors."

The question has made me think a lot. Who are the people around me who go nameless? Who are the people around me who I conclude are not worth calling by name? While I loathe admitting it, perhaps I, too, have the ability to look beyond certain individuals instead of looking into their eyes, recognizing how they, too, are a beloved child of God - a child who God knows by name.

Often we are good at avoiding the people who are different from us - people who have a different skin color or economic background or moral life or sexual orientation. We are good at avoiding the handicapped woman in a wheelchair, the older woman who sits by herself on the city bus, the man who stays by his cart all day in the park, the person who approaches us in the Metro station asking us for a quarter. We would rather stay around people like us -- people just like us because these people don't make us so uneasy.

The construction worker gave me plenty to think about yesterday. I hope that we, too, gave him something to think about. While Michael, Dennis and Esau will no longer be right next to the church - inside the fence - they will still be in the neighborhood - just outside the fence. Perhaps the next time this worker sees them, he will call them by name.

Merciful God, forgive me for passing some people by. Forgive me for not seeing everyone with the eyes with which you see them. Forgive me for looking beyond some or around others. Help me to see every single person around me as you see them - beloved, precious, beautiful, and called by name by their creator. Amen.

A Proposal

"Will you marry me?" I have often thought about the day when this question would be asked, who would ask it, and where we would be at the time. There have been times when I wanted to be asked the question earlier in life, and there have been times when I have been thankful for my singleness - for the ability to follow God's claim on my life without wondering who might be impacted by the call to move to a new place. There have been times when I thought I had met the person with whom I could spend the rest of my life, and there have been times when I have been so thankful to look back on the past, giving thanks and praise for a few more years of growth and maturity. The right time for the question has arrived, however. I was asked the question, "Will you marry me?" on Sunday night at the edge of the Pacific near the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.

I knew the question was coming. I had helped to select my ring at a local jewelry store. I had a good idea that the question would be popped while in San Diego. Still, I never imagined a scene so perfect and so filled with the presence of God.

The day started with a trip to Mt. Soledad. It continued with a visit to Sunset Cove and then another beach or two before arriving in the quaint community of Coronado. We drove to the hotel, walked all over admiring the weddings and graduation receptions taking place, went inside to enjoy some refreshment at the bar, and then went back outside where Craig led me to a series of rocks on the edge of the ocean.

We climbed on top of the rocks before Craig got down on one knee, said the sweetest things I have ever heard, and then said, "Will you marry me?" I replied, "Yes!" and just as I did, a huge wave soaked us. The rocks were dry when we climbed on top of them. The rocks were covered with water, however, along with half of our bodies, when we climbed down from them.

Craig tells me that he wanted to propose on the rocks, recognizing who our rock is - how Jesus is the foundation on which we stand and on which we intend to build our marriage.

The beauty of creation was all around us - we could see and experience God. Yet, nothing spoke of God's presence and power more than the wave - a wave that reminded me of the waters of our baptism when we were first cleansed of our sin and initiated into Christ's holy church - a wave that reminded me of the source of living water - a wave that surprised us, refreshed us, and made us laugh.

Isaiah 43 begins:

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you,

O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I am told any time I work with a couple about to be married or a couple going through a rocky time in their relationship that marriage is not easy. It is a series of give and takes, concessions and professions. There is no doubt in my mind that we will have our highs and our lows, our laughter and our tears. I firmly believe that God is the one who sustains a marriage - that God must stand at the center in order for any marriage to endure the test of time and temptation.

Craig and I have experienced God's presence often in our relationship, especially on Sunday. May God continue to be with us when we cross over the rivers or when we are surprised by the crashing waves, and may we continue to drink of the living water that never runs dry.

Thanks be to God!

Demolition

The demolition work has begun at Mount Vernon Place. The demolition crew started yesterday to carefully separate the buildings to be demolished from the 1917 historic church.

Stay tuned. Something is happening here!

Displaced

Several people, ministries and organizations have been displaced as a result of the construction and renovation work being done at Mount Vernon Place. When we vacated two of our buildings last August, the Downtown Cluster of Congregations Geriatric Daycare Center also vacated our building, moving to the nearby Asbury United Methodist Church. The Chinese Community Church discerned it was time for them to buy a church of their own. The Womens Infants and Children's van stopped coming and providing assistance on the church's property. And, our congregation moved from worshipping in the sanctuary to the basement theatre and then across the street to the National Music Center at the Carnegie Library.

We have adjusted to our changes well. The Chinese Community Church is growing, bringing in some 70 new children since they moved closer to Chinatown. I am told that the people at the Geriatric Daycare Center love their new space. And, we have adjusted well, bringing in several new faces along the journey. I learned this week, however, that the displacement is not over.

One of our homeless neighbors has been using a window well at the church for months now. It has become his storage site, and he has stored just about everything next to the church. He has placed as many as four bikes and three grocery carts in the window well. I have seen milk crates and eggs, toys and shoes, shirts and hats, all in the window well. The stuff has grown at times to the point that the well is overflowing while shrinking at other times. Michael has been told about the upcoming demolition for several months now, and he has tried his best to clean his stuff. However, he kept telling us that he had nowhere else to put it. But Michael learned this week that he had to move his belongings because demolition was starting.

I am not sure where Michael took his stuff. But it is gone now. And while I hated at times looking at the mountain of belongings growing next to the church, I am sure that I'll miss seeing Michael outside looking for something each afternoon.

I continued my journey down the sidewalk yesterday and found that Dennis' tree was no longer covered with toys for the children. Instead, the entire tree was empty. Dennis had taken everything down when he saw an orange fence around the tree he decorates. The fence was put up to protect the trees and the land during the renovation project. However, I did not get to tell Dennis about it before he discovered it himself. And, Dennis was nowhere to be found. I was horrified, wondering if I would ever see Dennis again. I was afraid that Dennis would think we were kicking him off the property since I had been unable to talk with him prior to the orange fence being installed around the tree he decorates and the place where he sleeps at night. He had been displaced.


People are displaced in the city all of the time. In my neighborhood of Columbia Heights, there is a massive amount of development taking place. Several old buildings have been demolished in order for a new shopping center, condominiums and grocery store to be built. Property values have escalated. Long time store owners have sold and left the neighborhood. Many newcomers love the change while the old timers crave the past. The changes are a blessing to many and a displacement to others as they are asked to leave - to go somewhere else. We see the same thing happening in cities and neighborhoods across the nation - something new comes in and the old has to go.

I found Dennis before I left the church on Wednesday evening. He was sitting outside and while I had tears in my eyes, he was fine. He assured me that he would still be sleeping nearby. He also told me that he would find another tree somewhere to decorate - to add color to for the enjoyment of others.

We are displaced when we lose our jobs, experience the ending of a relationship, graduate from college, or move to a new place. And while some of the displacement is sought, other displacements come by surprise.

We talk a lot about being displaced every Sunday at Mount Vernon Place. We talk about what it means to be worshipping in a space that is not our own. But we also talk about how we have experienced displacement in our own individual lives as we share our joys and our concerns - as we tell others of our transitions, our losses, our endings and our beginnings.

May we continue to be a community that welcomes the individuals who have lost their footing, experienced a challenging transition, or found themselves pushed aside. May we be sensitive to the needs of those in our city who are impacted the most by the changes around us. May we gather together that which has been torn apart.

A Name Change

I attended the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference today of the United Methodist Church. Annual Conference is a time at which clergy and laity gather from all over the area. It is a time to worship together. It is a time to laugh together. It is a time to make important decisions regarding the future of the church. And, it is a time in which our appointments to a local church are set for the coming year. While I have attended several annual conferences, I have never been to an annual conference session like today.

The Clergy Session is a session in which the main business is a report from the Board of Ordained Ministry. The report includes the people who are retiring from ministry, the people who are coming into the ministry, the pastors who have gotten in trouble, and the pastors who have had their names changed in the last year.

Three individuals have had their names changed this year. It is clear that two of the three name changes are related to either a marriage or a divorce. The other name change was rather different, however. The name had been changed from Ann to Drew.

The names were before us. Someone then asked a question. The Bishop responded. And then Drew went to the podium. He shared his entire story - his story of being born a gender that never made sense to him - a story of being in a body that did not seem right - his story of being called his 'father's son' even though his body was that of a father's daughter. And, he shared the story of the church he pastors - how attendance is now four times what it was five years ago, and how giving has tripled. He told of the support he has from his members, and how families are coming to the church for the first time in years.

I'll be the first to admit that I was very uncomfortable when the conversation started. I turned to my neighbor when I noticed the name and said, "Do you know Ann? What happened? Was it a sex change or what?" I actually did not know what to think. But my snickering was silenced the moment Drew started to speak. It was further silenced when a doctor shared a presentation on gender issues. And then the bishop spoke.

All of this was repeated at the full session tonight, with the exception of the doctor's presentation. And, my heart was touched. While I cannot begin to understand the complexity of Drew's situation, and while I am still very uncomfortable about the issue, I watched as he courageously addressed the entire annual conference, his papers shaking while he spoke. I wondered what it would be like to have my deepest issue and pain laid out for all to see. I watched the entire room grow silence. And, I stood in awe. The more I heard his story, the more I appreciated him. The more I heard his story, the more I realized how we do not have all of the answers we need and how we are all so much more complex than we like to realize. The more I heard his story, I realized how God uses a variety of people to build his church. New people are coming to Drew's church. A lot of new people are coming. Lives are being touched and transformed by the ministry of this one called Drew.

And, then I watched as my spiritual leader began to speak. Bishop Schol addressed the conference with the media flashing photographs of him and Drew repeatedly. He shared the deliberate process he has undertaken since Drew first came to him one year ago to share what was happening in his life. The Bishop explained what the United Methodist Book of Discipline says and does not say. And then he prayed. He prayed in a way that makes me realize that he is my pastor. He prayed for Drew. He prayed for the congregation Drew serves, asking God to protect them and be with them, to keep the world's hatred away. He prayed for the media that they would not report the story in an effort to sell papers or start a frenzy. And I cried as the bishop's voice began to shake, joining him in his tears.

The blog entry on marriage and homosexuality has generated more comments than any other posting on my blog. The sermon did the same thing when it was preached. I do not believe there are any easy answers to these matters. There is not a quick fix solution or a one size fits all belief. What I have learned, however, is how much we grow when we do not point fingers or spread hatred like the Institute on Religion and Democracy. We do not grow when we sweep the issue under the carpet, pretending it does not exist. We grow when we take the time to hear one's story, to see one's gifts, to understand one's pain, to think about the other individuals who may have the same pain with us going unaware. We grow when we do not allow the differences between us to continue to separate us, putting us on opposing sides ready to fight and choosing to split instead of coming together. We grow when we look at each person and remember how they are a precious child of God, made in God's image, beautiful to behold.

I am quite sure you will be able to read about Drew in tomorrow's paper. Pick up a copy of the Baltimore Sun or the Washington Post. Go to the IRD website and see what people are making of the story. What I hope will continue to happen, however, is that the story will be told not by people with hatred behind them but to people who will be willing to listen - to listen for the voice of God in each one of us.

Life is so complex...and yet so beautiful.

Marriage, Divorce and Homosexuality

"Pastor, you must have guts if you preached that sermon."

"Wow. Your sermon really touched me."

"Can you believe she preached that?"

"I have never heard a preacher address the issues that really matter to me."

"Thank you for preaching this sermon today."

I have received more comments on last week's sermon than I have ever received before. We are in the middle of a sermon series called, "Why Does the Bible Include That?" Last week's sermon was on marriage, divorce and homosexuality. It is a sermon that made me struggle, learn a lot, and be blessed tremendously. It is a long sermon. Still, the comments I have received have motivated me to post it here:

I was recruiting students for Duke Divinity School at one of our United Methodist colleges in the South when I first met Michael. The chaplain had gathered a group of six students who were interested in learning more about Duke, and Michael was one of the students eager to learn. I can still visualize that first meeting, picturing the different students and the chaplain who sat around the table. All of them told me that Michael would be a bishop in our church one day. Michael had already been elected to two General Conferences, the legislative body of our church that meets every four years. He was a regular preacher, filling the pulpits of churches around the state. Some people had even labeled him a church politician already. Michael had a plan. He was on his way to becoming a leader in our church.

Two years later, I got to welcome Michael as a member of the entering class at Duke. He arrived on campus, excited to finally be in seminary – to finally be studying the things he loved – scripture, theology, church history, and Methodist doctrine. As expected, Michael quickly became involved in everything the seminary had to offer. He offered his beautiful voice to the chapel choir. He provided leadership in the student government. He sat outside on the steps, using his personality to lighten the load of other students. Michael had so many gifts. He could teach. He could preach. He could listen. He could laugh. “He is going to be an amazing pastor,” we all thought to ourselves.

Michael and I spoke often during his fall semester, developing a solid friendship. And just as I will never forget the first time I met him, I will also never forget the details of a conversation we shared in the spring semester of his first year. I was working late when Michael came in and said, “Do you have a few minutes?” He closed the door, sat down, and began to share what was happening in his classes at school. The conversation on school soon turned much more complicated and complex as Michael shared with me how hard it was to be at Duke, knowing that he would never be able to fully respond to God’s claim on his life.

“I will never be able to be a pastor, Donna. I’m gay,” he said. “I have given my entire life to the church. I have followed Jesus to the best of my ability. I have prayed for years that God would take away my feelings for other men. Still, here I am, unable to deny something that is at the core of my being, knowing that I will never be able to be the pastor God has called me to be – at least not in our denomination.”

It did not take long for tears to start rolling down both of our eyes. The tears soon turned to reservoirs of water that did not appear to be running dry anytime soon. Michael cried because he was afraid – afraid to tell his parents who he really was, afraid to tell his classmates, and afraid to tell his church. His parents, his classmates, and his church all expected him to be a bishop one day, while Michael was coming to grips with how he would likely never be a pastor, let alone a bishop.

I cried because Michael was one of the students who I knew was going to make an impact within our church one day. I knew this from the moment I met him. And, I knew that our church was about to lose a remarkable individual who always seemed destined to serve.

Two scripture lessons have been read this morning. One of the passages mentions the topic of divorce. The other passage mentions the topic of homosexuality. One of the scriptures is quoted often. The other scripture is rarely mentioned. Neither of the passages appears in the lectionary, the schedule of scripture readings assigned for pastors to preach on throughout the years. And both of the passages make me uncomfortable. Both of the passages are easier to avoid than they are to preach.

In our text from Matthew, the Pharisees are in the process of trying to trick Jesus. They want Jesus to say something that will support their belief that a husband should be able to rule over his wife. Jesus responds to their test with a description of marriage. He tells the Pharisees how God created male and female, just as it is spelled out in the book of Genesis. The man and the woman become one flesh, says Jesus, offering assurance that the man and the woman are equal. One is not above the other. The Pharisees continue the conversation by reminding Jesus what is written in Deuteronomy. Chapter 24:1 reads, “Suppose a man enters into marriage with a woman, but she does not please him because he finds something objectionable about her, and so he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house.” When this happens, the woman leaves and becomes the wife of someone else in Deuteronomy. It is an easy way out. All that is needed is a certificate of divorce.

Jesus’ words do not provide an easy way out of marriage, however. Jesus restricts divorce to one situation. The only case for divorce, according to Jesus, is adultery.

The disciples react rather strangely. They seem to believe that it is easier to stay unmarried than it is to stay faithful to one woman because they ask, “’If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry?’”[1] It apparently was quite common for men to be unfaithful in their marriages. Still, not everyone can remain single and celibate. Jesus knows that remaining celibate can be a challenge.

Jesus understands that keeping a marriage together can be very difficult. Jesus and his disciples are aware that sexuality is a complex, powerful, beautiful, and sometimes destructive gift. Sexuality is a gift in which passion can sometimes rule over us. Still, Jesus’ words in this passage seem rather strait-forward. The only reason for divorce is adultery. Jesus makes no mention of growing distant, financial stress, differences in childrearing, or any other reason as grounds for divorce. Marriage is an act of faithfulness and an act of discipleship. Marriage is a covenant created by God – one that God can keep together. The only situation in which a divorce should be granted is when one of the partners is unfaithful.

There are several passages of scripture that are used when people are debating the issue of homosexuality. Several people turn to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. However, a careful reading of this text will demonstrate how this story is the story of rape and inhospitality, not the story of consensual sexual relations. The behavior in this passage should be condemned! Rape should always be condemned whether the act is between two people of the same sex or two people of the opposite sex.

Other people point to the passages found in the book of Leviticus. Leviticus 18:22 reads, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” A similar passage appears in Leviticus 20:13. These passages are part of the holiness codes. And as one scholar explains, as United Methodists, we should resonate with Leviticus’ call to holiness, a call repeated by Jesus and John Wesley.” He goes on to explain, “Scripture, however, is clear that with Jesus’ advent, God’s holy order has changed.”[2] The purity codes were set aside with the arrival of Christ. In fact, the laws concerning circumcision and dietary practices were almost all set aside in the first century. Leviticus, then, is not the best passage for Christians to turn to for wisdom on this topic – unless we want to give up eating shellfish, too.

The most relevant New Testament passage on the topic of homosexuality is the passage from Romans that was read today. Paul is writing to a church that he has never visited. He starts his letter by offering thanksgiving for the church in Rome. He builds them up, giving thanks and praise for their ministry. He then offers a word about salvation in Verse 16, assuring everyone in Rome that salvation is available to all. The Jew and the Gentile have been delivered from sin, death and evil.

Paul then talks about the state of much of humanity. While we have been delivered from our sin and evil, there are people who are living lives contrary to the goodness of God. Paul explains to the people in Rome how we all know what is right, and we all know God. Yet, we do not always make the right choices in light of our knowing God. We do not always honor God with the choices we make nor do we always give thanks to God. And when we are not honoring or giving thanks to God, we tend to exchange the authentic, God-given way of life for a life that is less than authentic.

Paul continues his letter with a description of what can happen when we are not honoring and giving thanks to God by giving four examples of the God-given thing being exchanged for another thing. The glory of God has been exchanged for images resembling ourselves in Verse 25. The truth of God has been exchanged for the worship of creature and not Creator in Verse 25. Women exchange natural intercourse for the unnatural in Verse 26. And men give up natural intercourse in exchange for passion for one another in Verse 27.

My professor of New Testament, Richard Hays, explains, “When human beings engage in homosexual activity, they enact an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual reality: the rejection of the Creator’s design.”[3]

Dr. Hays’ statement makes sense when you think of the ways in which the creation story is told, and when you examine our bodies. A man and a woman’s body are designed to go together. We are designed in such a way that we can become one flesh in an act of love.

Another scholar who I greatly respect explains the passage a little differently, saying Paul is not condemning all of humanity in this passage, but rather is condemning the idolatry of humanity. Paul is condemning anything that is done without first obeying and giving thanks to God. He goes on to write, “Paul is not condemning homosexual practice in general but homosexual practice that is an excess of desire and rooted in pagan idolatry.”[4] This scholar believes that any relationship or act that is chosen before God is out of order. However, some relationships – including the relationship between gay men and lesbian women – can glorify God.

Here is where the argument takes off. Some people say that anyone who is homosexual is not putting God first, regardless of the widely held, and most accepted conclusion that homosexuality is not a choice. Other people say that it is the way in which the homosexual lifestyle is framed – it can be possible to put God number one, to give God all thanks and praise, and to still be a gay man or a lesbian woman.

The United Methodist Church first published a statement on homosexuality in 1972. In this year, the newly fashioned Social Principles included a statement that continues to be part of the Social Principles today. A section of our Book of Discipline titled, “Human Sexuality” begins with these words, “We recognize that sexuality is God’s good gift to all persons. We believe persons may be fully human only when that gift is acknowledged and affirmed by themselves, the church and society. We call all persons to the disciplined, responsible, fulfillment of themselves, others, and society in the stewardship of this gift.” The Discipline continues with words on how sex outside of marriage is wrong, as is the exploitation of sex. And then this statement is made:
Homosexual persons, no less than heterosexual persons, are individuals of sacred worth. All persons need the ministry and guidance of the church in their struggles for human
fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self. The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching. We affirm that God’s grace is available to all, and we will seek to live together in Christian community. We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.[5]

With this statement, our argument continues. In fact, one of the essays I read in preparation for this sermon was titled, “Will Homosexuality Split the Church?” It was written in 1999 – just before the 2000 General Conference. Homosexuality has already split the Episcopal Church in the United States. The issue of gays and lesbians as members of our churches’ lay and ordained ministry has been brought to the floor of our denomination’s General Conference every year. And, an argument will take place on the floor of the Baltimore Washington Conference in two weeks when legislation is presented that would remove the words, “The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching.” Churches in this conference are bringing forth legislation in hopes of changing the Book of Discipline at the 2008 General Conference.

One of the things that bothers me the most about most discussions on this issue is the mean spirited debate that is sparked almost anytime the issue is discussed. I have never heard such hateful, demeaning words used by church people than the words some so-called followers of Jesus use to describe gay men and lesbian women. I do not know of any group today that is more discriminated against in our society and in our church than gay men and lesbian women. I do not know of any other group in our society today that is more feared and more despised as a collective group. And I do not know of any other issue that elicits such a mean, judgmental, hypocritical spirit from people who call themselves followers of Christ.

We are so good at picking and choosing the parts of the Bible that apply to us, laying aside the rest of the Bible’s teaching. I specifically selected two passages today. One of the passages includes the words of Jesus himself. The other passage includes the words of Paul. While Jesus makes it clear that the only grounds acceptable for divorce is a partner who is unfaithful, we do not judge (and nor should we judge) individuals who are divorced today. Divorced people are allowed to not only join our churches without any questions asked, but divorced people are allowed to lead our churches as pastors and as laypeople. I do not believe that divorced people should be discriminated against. Divorce is an epidemic in my family. My parents are divorced. My sister is divorced. I know well the pain of divorce and believe that divorce is just as painful as death, especially when your parents have been married for 23 years and the only life you know is one in which Mom and Dad are both at home, still madly in love with each other. And while we should not discriminate against or judge divorced people, we should do whatever we can to make sure that marriages last a lifetime, praying for every married couple in our church and in our lives. We should continue to do whatever we can to make sure that the divorce rate decreases in this country.

But why are we so filled with acceptance of one group that Jesus actually says something about, while being filled with judgment when it comes to the gay and lesbian community? How can we let one scripture slide so easily while we shout out loud other scriptures on a topic that Jesus never once mentioned? How can we so easily allow men who have been unfaithful to their wives over and over again to lead our churches while not allowing two individuals who are in a committed relationship be part of our churches?

It amazes me that the very people who shout words like “fairy” or post signs that read “God hates faggots” are the very people who stand behind the Bible. But if we are going to stand behind this book, then we had better read all of it.

Paul’s words do not end with a passage on men exchanging natural intercourse with unnatural intercourse. Paul continues to write something for all of us. He writes, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done.” Paul is not talking about sex here. Rather, he writes, “They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious towards parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” I think we can all find an adjective here that applies to us. And if we cannot find one of these words, then we should turn the page of scripture one more time and start with the first verse of chapter 2, “Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.”

My professor, Dr. Hays, calls this passage a “homiletical sting operation.” He writes, “The radical move Paul makes is to proclaim that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, stand equally condemned under the just judgment of a righteous God. Consequently, for Paul, self-righteous judgment of homosexuality is just as sinful as the homosexual behavior itself.”[6] Did you hear that? Our judgment of homosexuality is just as sinful as homosexual behavior according to Paul.

Hays continues, “Thus, Paul’s warning should transform the terms of our contemporary debate about homosexuality: no one has a secure platform to stand upon in order to pronounce condemnation to others. Anyone who presumes to have such a vantage point is living in a dangerous fantasy, oblivious to the gospel that levels us before a holy God.”[7]

Last week I was talking with one of my clergy colleagues. She was telling me how thankful she was to be a pastor. “It has been one of those weeks where I have given thanks and praise often for the gift of this call,” she said. She then proceeded to tell me about a conversation she had the day before.

The parents of one of her newer members were in town and had made an appointment to come and see her. They wanted to see this pastor in order to say “Thank you.” The parents have a twenty-something son who is a member of her church. This young man is gay, and he just told his parents about his sexual orientation two months ago. The young man was filled with pain when he told his parents. He knew he would disappoint them. He was afraid to tell them, but also could not stand the pain of living in a closet any longer. When he went home to finally tell his parents, he shared how it was his church in Washington that had provided him with the most support. In the church, he discovered the one community where he could truly be himself and be cherished for who he was. He found not a community of judgment but a community of open arms – a community that embodied the love of Christ to him.

The parents came to say thank you. They told my pastor friend how they could not imagine the pain their son had carried. They shared with her how they were a close-knit family and if the son was uncomfortable with telling his parents, then they could not imagine everything that he had been through. They continued to say how thankful they were that their son did not turn away from the church. “He could have gone the other way,” they told my pastor friend. “But you gave him a place where he could become more spiritually alive than he has ever been before.”

The more I get out into the downtown community, the more I learn about what other people think of our church. People often ask me about what is happening here before telling me about an experience they have had here. I was recently having a conversation with someone who shared with me, “I have watched your church for years. I have always been fascinated by your beautiful building. But the church has always seemed so closed. It never appeared to be open to me.”

I am not sure if this man was speaking of the gates that used to cover every single door to our church or if he was speaking of the kind of people he did or did not see walking in and out of our doors. However, his comment has made me think a lot.

When I read the stories of Jesus, I have a direct encounter with a savior who welcomes anyone and everyone. The Jesus I know and love was always spending time with the person on the outside – with the despised and condemned individual. Jesus touched people who no one else would touch. He ate with people who climbed trees in order to avoid the crowd. He met a woman at the well who was the scorn of society. He was constantly on the outside. Jesus does not turn a single person away, as far as the story is told. Jesus always erred on the side of inclusion and not exclusion, and Jesus calls us to be just like him. And when Jesus wanted to teach a lesson about judgment, he asked people to pick up and throw a stone at the woman caught in adultery – but the only person who could throw a stone was the person who was without sin. Not one person could throw a stone that day, and not one of us can throw a stone on this day, either.

I hope and pray that someone will never again say to me, “Your church seems so closed to me.” Rather, what I long for and what I pray is happening here is that people will say to me, “The thing I love about your church is how it looks like the body of Christ – how it is truly open to everyone.”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are divorced, you are welcome here. If you are a gay man or a lesbian woman, you are welcome here. If you are a sinner who feels like you have done everything wrong, you are welcome here. Welcome to the body of Christ. May we all encounter Jesus here – not only through a reading of the text – but through the grace of Christ which we have received and which we share with others as we all seek to do what Paul asks us to do – offer our best, our very best to God, and give God thanks.

[1] Matthew 19:10.
[2] Daniel M. Bell, Jr. “Will Homosexuality Split the Church?” in Questions for the Twenty-First Century Church, Edited by Russell E. Richey, William B. Lawrence and Dennis M. Campbell. Nashville, Abingdon, 1999, 276.
[3] Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. San Francisco: HarperSanfrancisco, 1996, 386.
[4] Bell, 277.
[5] The United Methodist Book of Discipline, 2004, 101.
[6] Hays, 389.
[7] Hays, 389.