I Wish You A Hopeful Christmas...

Below is a "video Christmas card" from my family to yours this blessed season. Our prayer is that you know peace and joy in ways that inspire you to be courageous and imaginative in the way you love others.



The video was shot on our digital camera while in center city Philadelphia. It features Amber as "the Cherub". The song is called "I Believe in Father Christmas" and was written by Greg Lake (of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer fame). The lyrics I use come from the version that U2 recorded this year for (RED)Wire. Here they are:

They said there’d be snow at christmas
They said there’d be peace on earth
But instead it just keeps on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin birth

I remember on Christmas morning
A winter’s light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell; that Christmas tree smell
eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a silent night
They sold me a fairy story
But I believe in the Israelite

I believed in father Christmas
I looked at the sky with excited eyes
'Till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear

They said there’d be snow at Christmas
They said there’d be peace on earth
Hallelujah, noel, be it heaven or hell
Christmas we get what we deserve

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear

May peace be yours this Christmas....

Proud To Be An American...

EVERCLEAR - Jesus Was A Democrat

I'm glad to admit that I enjoyed the music of Everclear during the 90s. Songs like Santa Monica, Herion Girl and Heartspark Dollarsign were favorites. And, although it lacked the irony and jaded nature of the so-called "x" generation, Father of Mine always hits close to home for me.

Anyway...fast-forward to 2008 (and well beyond Everclear's arc of flight). The band has posted the song Jesus Was A Democrat on their website for free download. I could do without some of the overtly partisan claims (and the shelf-life of the McCain reference will expire in less than 3 weeks). If you take those for what they are (and ignore them as such), there are a few things to consider about Jesus.



Jesus Christ didn't have blue eyes or blond hair
He looked just like all those people that you want to kill
Spin your hell into a heaven you can sell
Make it look like California with a bible belt

Jesus didn't look like the boy next door
Unless you live in Palestine
I wonder what you mean by the golden rule
I think it is a scary play on words
I wonder what they taught you back in Sunday school
I bet you think of him
As a nice clean long haired Republican, nah

He would be all locked up in Guantanamo Bay
If he were alive today
He would have been a revolutionary
Wanted by the CIA

I picture him in all the wrong places
Finding diamonds in the dirt
A star of David tattoo
And a Che t-shirt
Jesus Christ was a left wing radical Jew
Murdered by people like you

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was
I don't think he's going to want to take the blame
For all the awful things you say and do in his name
If Jesus was alive he would be sad to see
That it is no different than it used to be
Someday he's going to call you out
I am pretty god damned sure ......He is going to be angry
He is going to be angry

You want to know what I think?.......I think Jesus would have been a card carrying liberal
If he was a young man born in the USA
He would not be "fiscally conservative"
And he wouldn't vote for John McCain

All those so called Christians that you see on TV
Maybe they scare Jesus like they scare me
Kick you the hell out of my temple too
Too many elephants in the room

If Jesus was a Democrat like the bible says he was
I don't think he's going to want to take the blame
For all the awful things you people do and say in his name
If Jesus was alive today he would be sad to see
That it is no different than it used to be

Someday he's going to call you out
I am pretty god damned sure......He is going to be....mad
He is going to be angry
He is going to be....mad
He is going to be....mad

You say Jesus loves the little children
And I say I know that's true
I say he loves all the Muslims and the Jews
All the addicts and the porn stars too

You say Jesus died to save us all from a fiery hell
I say Jesus died to save us
Save us from ourselves
Will you save me from myself?

If Jesus was a liberal like the red letters say he was
I know he would have big love for all the killers and the racists
And the bullies in this world
If Jesus was alive today
And you had a chance to meet him face to face
I'm pretty God-damned sure that you and your friends
Would find some way to kill him all over again

You would kill him all over again
Again and again and again
Just like you always do
You do just what you always do

My Neighbor's Health Is Not Yours To Sell To Them

I just finished watching the second presidential debate (transcript) and wanted to publish a public "Thank You"...

...to Lindsey Trella.

In the "town hall" format of this debate, audience member Lindsey Trella asked a question that I found to be the highest moment of this debate:

L. Trella: Senator, selling health care coverage in America as a marketable commodity has become a very profitable industry. Do you believe health care should be treated as a commodity?

I found this question to be framed in such a beautifully important way. It identifies the true challenge at the heart of this issue. It's not about government control. It's not about choice of providers. The issue at stake that needs to be discussed is the troubling fact that the current healthcare industry has found ways to profit off of the medical struggles of their neighbors.

I am not naive enough to think that healthcare-produced revenue is altogether wrong. Doctors, nurses and the people who clean the floor and cook the meals deserve to make a living from their lifesaving work. Piles of money is necessary to fund the research that will find treatments and cures for AIDS, cancer, autism, and the many other infirmities that impact lives every day.

What is not acceptable is any form of healthcare being operated from a profit motive. My wife's health is not yours to sell to her. My neighbor's health is not yours to sell to them. It is not your golden ticket. Refusing care is not a "cost saving measure". If we can't agree to the fundamental truth that a person who is sick or injured must be helped in every way possible, we are in trouble. If we can't accept the moral obligation to demand that every person's right to have their life saved or their illnesses and injuries treated, we have lost our morality.

During the debate, Senator McCain offerred a $5000 credit to pay for health insurance. We already have insurance and that is less than our out-of-pocket most years. My parents have to buy their own policy, and $5000 will get them from January to March. I was glad to hear Senator Obama identify healthcare as a "right" during the debate. It is time for leaders like Senator Obama to be bold and courageous on this issue for the sake of those who need an advocate.

It's time to put divisions aside and agree on the simple truth revealed by Lindsey Trella: the health of our neighbor is not a commodity to be bought and sold. Quality healthcare must not be reserved for the person who can afford it. And if you're making a good living off of the healthcare industry, it better be because you are treating the sick and saving lives...and not because you found a way to keep their money by doing the opposite.

Crying Out A Broken Hallelujah

Every now and then a song just haunts me and won't let me go.



Such is the case with the song "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It started when a favorite songwriter, Michael Knott, recorded a sparse arrangement of the song and put it on his myspace page. Then author/pastor/teacher/theologian/cool-guy-I'd-like-to-know Christian Scharen announced that his next book would carry the title "Broken Hallelujahs" as it explores faith messages in popular culture (his previous book, One Step Closer, is an awesome theology book based on the music of U2). Here is Scharen's description of why he picked the title "Broken Hallelujahs":

In this life, all we are capable of is a broken hallelujah. We’re only even able to raise a broken hallelujah because of what God has done for us. Knowing that keeps us from trying to please God with our shiny “holy hallelujahs” and allows us to be honest about ourselves, our need for God’s mercy, and our call to join in the God’s mission of mercy in the midst of a broken world. (full article)

Back to the song...

The video with this post is my attempt to reflect the way that this song has kept me up late the last few night playing the guitar and singing. Here's the lyrics:

I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew that Hallelujah

Maybe there’s a God above,
But all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
It's not a cry you can hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah.

The final verse (in my arrangement) is my favorite. I'd be quite happy to have it be the words I use to sum up my existence if I have the opportunity to do so when my time comes:

I did my best, it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my lips but...Hallelujah

Thank you Leonard Cohen.

What do you love about Jesus (in 60 seconds or less)?

Kelly Fryer has started a new group on Facebook around her most recent book, Reclaiming The "E" Word.

Even as a church professional, I find myself wondering often if I'm actually living my faith in real life. I don't get hung up on doing good works or worrying if God loves me, but I do wonder about how being a follower of Jesus is making a difference in how I live.

Kelly just started this Facebook group (and if you're not on Facebook yet, how exactly are you wasting your time these days?) and she sent around a question in hopes that we would actually answer it:

"What is at the CORE of what you believe and why your faith matters to you and what difference you think Jesus makes in the world??? Can you say it in 60 seconds or less??"

Part of "reclaiming the E word", I think, is being able to EXPRESS it simply, passionately, in a way that makes sense to everyday people. As a Christian who happens to be a mainliner or progressive, what IS the core message of your faith. What, in a nutshell, is what you believe? It'll help me - and all of us, I think - to hear your answers to that question.

I really like that idea of not being afraid to share what I believe. Some may be surprised to hear that this is a struggle, even for a pastor. Deal with it. I'm trying to. So I offered the following reply on Facebook, trying to stick close to 60 second guideline:

I love Jesus because Jesus came into our world and announced that there was something better. A new kingdom. Not off in eternity somewhere, but here and now. On earth as in heaven.

I love Jesus because Jesus is totally fine with the fact that we can't accomplish this new reality on our own, but nonetheless calls us to put all that we are into making it happen.

I love Jesus because Jesus always seems to line up next to those on the outside. This gives me great comfort when I don't fit in and challenges me immensely when it's someone else on the margin.

I love Jesus because everything that seems messed up about the way Christianity is lived out today is ususally best exposed not by the critique of others, but by the life and teachings of Jesus himself.

So get over to Facebook and join the group. And then...answer the question. You can post your responses to the question here, too.

In Defense of Mallrats Everywhere....

This past weekend the largest mall in Delaware (i.e. your average shopping mall) began to enforce a curfew on Friday & Saturday evenings. "Teenagers under 18 without adult supervision are being turned away at Delaware's largest mall as of this weekend, as officials attempt to reclaim the center for shoppers, not slackers."

What a load of nonsense. What a steaming, smelly pile of...um...nonsense.

One thing that will consistently annoy me is the scapegoating of youth. Even in this age that is often described as detached, youth remain very good at finding enjoyment in being together. As our society turns more toward isolating ourselves in cubicles and suburbs without sidewalks, there are less and less places that such group socilization occurs organically. It's a sobering thought to think that a shopping mall can become the best option for (according to the mall's GM) more than 2,000 youth on any Friday or Saturday.

If there is a positive side to this, I would suggest that it shines a harsh light on the reality that shopping malls exist for one purpose: to profit from consumerism. The fact that teens aren't welcome to socialize at the mall stems from the same reason that I have to wander down endless hallways into the bowels of any mall whenever I need to go to the bathroom. The mall places a higher priority on our ability to spend than on my physical need to use the bathroom or the need of 2,000 youth to build relationships with their peers. In an earlier article, a spokesperson for the International Council of Shopping Centers had this to say: "What has to be remembered is the mall is there for commerce; it's not a hangout. It's a private property, and it's there for shopping."

If "the church" is alive in Delaware, they will join with other decent and caring people in realizing that young people hanging out with friends is not a problem to be dealt with, but a good thing. They will find ways to foster that desire to build relationships and community. They will give them places to congregate safely, but also on their own terms. They will show youth the respect that they often demand for themselves. They will also wise up to the fact that the Christiana Mall has no additional regard for them beyond their ability to spend and consume. If they must consume, they'll find somewhere else to take their money.

"Truth is Stranger..." - Gas Station Graffiti

I typically don't take photographs in a gas station bathroom (I basically try to keep my name unconnected with the words "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy"). However, this past weekend was the exception.

The bathroom was as unremarkable and unpleasant as one would expect at a gas station. The walls were covered with your typical bigotry-driven graffiti: anti-semitic, anti-black, anti-gay, anti-immigrant, etc. etc.

I found this one in the middle of it all and snapped a picture with the phone. I'm convinced that it was written by someone who shares my satirical sense of humor. Either that, or someone has run out of people to hate.

Just For Fun: Real Preachers of Genius

This video made me laugh. Enjoy!

Beyond Capernaum Makes the News Without Being Shot

The post below (How To Make The News in Philadelphia) was printed today (June 20, 2008) as a letter to the editor in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Find it on page A14 of the print edition or online here.

How to Make the News in Philadelphia

Two 23-year old men were shot and killed yesterday in Philadelphia. One of them made the top headline of the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer (June 16, 2008). He was described as an "Aspiring Teacher" although his current employment was as a barista at Starbucks (no shame in that...I love those people!). By chance, I walked past that same Starbucks yesterday and wondered why there were multiple news trucks filming on location. The Inquirer also included two photgraphs with this story...one of the victim and one of the street where he died.

The other man's death was reported on page B10 in a tiny little article completey hidden on a page that had nothing else but advertisments for hearing aids, loans and something called "Zeppy".

Anybody want to guess which of these tragedies happened to a white person?

I pray that God's peace be with both families.

I Can Ride My Bike With No Handlebars

I've listened to the radio more this past year than I have in a long time thanks to the addition of Philly's Radio 104.5. Among getting to hear new music from Social Distortion or Weezer along with pre-Nickleback alt-rock, they also play exciting new music from bands like Vampire Weekend. It's surprisingly refreshing (although it comes from the evil of Clear Channels). OK, end of commercial.

They've started playing this hypnotic song that begins with plucked violin strings and the words "I can ride my bike with no handlebars...no handlebars...no handlebars". If you've heard this song, I know you're with me. Turns out the song is performed by Denver natives FLOBOTS.

I found their new CD at Borders for a low price tonight and I was in the mood to hear something new. I was interested by the fact that this band--a multiracial hip-hop group with a viola, trumpet and generally live instruments throughout--had started a non-profit organization committed to organizing people around social change through the arts. But honestly speaking: I was itching for some new music, the CD was cheap, the band was interesting, and there was at least one song I knew I would enjoy.

At the cash register, there was a young guy who told me that he had just bought the CD himself and informed me that it was full of "sick beats". As I walked to the car, I was a little bit worried. I'm just old and white enough to know what "sick beats" are, but generally steer clear of any rhythms that might be ill. I'm a guitar guy.

What an interesting CD. I wanted to drive around all night and see how it sounded different after the sun went down. Early in the CD, they describe themselves as "somewhere between prayer and revolution, between Jesus and Huey P. Newton". Sometimes there's a little bit of sloganeering going on...but just a little bit.

The first tune that really got me was "Stand Up", a lament and call to action written in the shadows of Katrina, 9/11, and current wars:

Under God...but we kill like the son of Sam
but if you fell like I feel about the son of Man
we will overcome...we shall not be moved
except by a child with no socks and shoes
except by a woman dying from a loss of food
except by a freedom fighter bleeding on a cross for you

A few tracks later, there's "Anne Braden", a tribute to the white Episcopalian woman who raised holy hell in the segregated south. It begins by describing how she came to realize the evil around her as a child:

She knew there was something wrong
because the song said "yellow, red, black, white"
everyone precious in the path of Christ
but what about the daughter of the woman cleaning their house?
Wasn't she a child they were singing about?
And if Jesus loves us black or white skin
Why didn't her white mother invite them in?
When did it become a room for no blacks to step in?
How did she already know not to ask the question?

As she grew older and became an activist for equality (even mentioned by name in MLK's letter from Birmingham Jail), she struggled with not meeting hatred with hatred:

she faced it every day
people she saw on a regular basis
people she loved in several cases
people she knew were incredibly racist
It was painful but she never stopped loving them
Never stopped calling their name
And she never stopped being a southern woman
And she never stopped calling for change

The CD ends with the song "Rise". The final words of the song (and therefore the whole disc) are:

The answer's obvious
we switch the consanants
Change the Sword to wordS
and lift continents

And then the refrain repeats off into the sunset "We rise together...we rise together...we rise together" In the end, they add the words "If you believe in redemption coming to you from another dimension".

I believe in redemption coming from another dimension. Let's rise together! God is at work in this world trying to move us to action: to love and serve. It falls somewhere between prayer and revolution...or maybe it's both?

In the end, I'm still hypnotized by "No Handlebars".

Some of these songs can be heard at the FLOBOTS myspace page.

And for the record...the kid was right: the beats are sick!

Turn Things Upside-Down (Amazing Video!)

So I'm wading through YouTube to find some videos to use in sermons or discussion groups etc., and I found this one posted by North Glynn UMC that really amazed me with it's use of poetry to portray what I find to be an incredible Law & Gospel message. It's definitely worth 3 minutes and 9 seconds of your time(HINT...you'll find the move from Law to Gospel hard to miss!).

MAD PROPS from a member of the historical episcopate!

This weekend at our annual synod assembly, the Lutheran bishop of SE Pennsylvania recognized the "Law & Gospel" YouTube video (see earlier post). She called it an example of proclaiming God's word in the language of the 21st century. I thought it would be appropriate to go ahead and put the event on YouTube, too. Look for me at the end! I'm not sure, but I think she lumped me in with St. Paul and Martin Luther (which I can only agree with insofar as both of them, like me, considered themselves to be real turds).



The original video has now been well received by our bishop, Lutheran theologian/historian Dr. Timothy Wengert, and was posted this afternoon by national speaker/author Kelly Fryer (who has written books about "reclaiming L, C & E words") on her website/blog.
I still enjoy watching it...you should watch it, too! Watch it...rate it...comment on it!! With your help, my kids can become the world's next meaningless internet celebrities.

Both videos are also embedded at our church website.

Law & Gospel: The Ten Commandments

Below is the sermon from this past Sunday, which was "Youth Sunday". It features the confirmation class's take on the Ten Commandments. Enjoy and share!

Music for the Journey: Bill Mallonee

I'll take this opportunity to invite everyone (if there's anyone) reading this to explore the music of an artist that best describes the spirit of "Beyond Capernaum". Bill Mallonee from Athens, GA, has been writing and recording songs for nearly 20 years now at a rate that is exhausting even to keep up with as a listener. These songs are well worth it. They truly take the life of faith beyond familiar and safe confines and place it where it belongs: in the middle of life as we know it. Failure, regret, pain, doubt, mixed seamlessly with love, forgiveness, and hope.

Here's lyrics his most recent song, When All The Tellin' Gets Told

when you hope that life wins out over death
sure it is your last prayer, but you ain’t holding your breath
and you hope that goodness gets a chance to shine
and you're hoping that justice gets a word in edgewise

through all of the storms, and all the bad weather
And all of the “I love you”s...they’re all gone forever
(be)fore it all fades to black...and they turn off the sound
forgive all that I gave up...and all that I let down

‘til the curtain falls...and the credits all roll
the tears they’re all dried...and the wounds are made whole
And all of the tellin’...gets told

Before recording as solo troubadour and touring coffeehouses and living rooms, he was the singer/songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Vigilantes of Love. Paste Magazine has named him one of the 100 greatest living songwriters. If you are new to his music, there's a lot to explore. I would suggest you begin simply by visiting http://www.myspace.com/billmallonee .

Why Senator Clinton Will Win in Pennsylvania

I've found this Clinton/Obama campaign to be tremendously fun as well as frustrating. The whole concept of a primary election really offers the great opportunity for a party to really define itself through dialogue, along with the temptation for two candidates to destroy each other and limp toward November.

In the race between Senator Clinton & Senator Obama, I like them both. Senator Obabma's campaing gives me HOPE (talk about drinking the kool-aid!). The hope it gives me is a presidency under which faith and activism can be rightly connected and celebrated. That hope is what will probably put my primary vote in Obama's column.

I like Senator Clinton because I am convinced that electing a woman to be president has far more potential to change the course of our nation (for the better).

Anyways...to get to the point. The reason why Senator Clinton will win Pennsylvania was something she said on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She talked about how we have devalued and disrespected careers in skilled labor (such as mechanics, plumbers, etc.). She went on to discuss how "going green" will be dependent on skilled labor to install all this new technology.

I now live in the Philadelphia suburbs, where this issue may not have a defining impact on the primary. However, I spent the first thirty years of my life living and working ALL OVER Pennsylvania. I've become a full-on Philadelphia type (except that I still bleed black & gold), but it is very true that the rest of this fair commonwealth is a very different place. I spent Easter dinner in the coal region listening to a blue collar democrat share his views on the current state of our nation. Most everyone he knows sees this as a race between "a woman and a black guy" (neither label being a good one). I'm glad they're being forced to get over that. I think Senator Clinton will do much better than Senator Obama in getting through to them. As far as policy goes, she should also do better than Senator McCain's "some jobs are never coming back" routine. At that point, however, the stereotypes of gender (and race if Senator Obama is the candidate) will play a role in this election that doesn't surprise me, but doesn't sit well at all.

I should also mention that after I was truly excited by Senator Clinton's talk about skilled labor, she went on to shovel an immense pile of manure on the issue of superdelegates. She said that the superdelegates votes don't count any more than the regular delegates. I can agree with that...HOWEVER...there's that annoying detail that the regular delegates will come to the convention riding on the wave of primary voters like me and the guy I talked to on Easter. Thousands of us will cast our vote to get that delegate there, while the superdelegate will be granted the same vote by simply being who they are.

Your 2007 - 2008 Atlantic Division Champions!!!!

Buddy Holly on the road to Emmaus

Sermon - Easter 3A - April 6, 2008
Luke 24:13-25 (Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus)
First Communion Sunday at Temple Lutheran Church

Last week, Monica & I were invited by friends down to the Media Theatre to watch a live performance of The Buddy Holly Story. It was a wonderful and fun retelling of the life of a man whose place in music history is equal to anyone across the ages, even though he played an electric guitar and died at age 22.

About halfway through the story there is a scene depicting the chance meeting of Buddy Holly & Maria Elena Santiago. The scene takes places in the lobby of a Manhattan music publisher’s office. Buddy Holly and his bandmates, The Crickets, enter the lobby where Maria Elena Santiago is working as a receptionist. Buddy is immediately taken with Maria and begins flirting with her. Even though Buddy Holly’s star was rising at the time, Maria Elena did not recognize him when he entered her lobby in person. In a comical exchange, Buddy Holly chats her up, asking her about music, and even what she thinks of Buddy Holly. Even as she goes on about how much she loves his music and how her company publishes his songs, he still doesn’t identify himself. He finally lets her off the hook by asking to see the boss without an appointment
And when she asks him what his name is. He says, “Tell him Buddy Holly is here to see him.” At first she doesn’t believe him, but is then amazed to learn it’s true.

Suddenly, everything about that conversation changed. She was no longer talking about Buddy Holly, she was talking with Buddy Holly. The encounter worked out well: they were married two weeks later. Maria Elena Holly, now in her 70s, remembers it like it was yesterday.

I can’t help but think of that scene as I hear a similar story taking place seven miles outside of Jerusalem as two people walked along toward Emmaus. They were talking about the things that had happened : the crucifixion of Jesus, the burial, and how two women named Mary had astounded them that morning with the claim that the tomb was empty. As they were walking along, Jesus himself comes near, and even hops right into their conversation.

“What are you talking about as you walk along out here?”

And just like Maria Elena Santiago in that music publisher’s lobby, they began to talk openly about the one that mattered to them: Jesus. Words filled with reverence, excitement and great hope. They had absolutely no clue that as they talked about Jesus, they were also talking with Jesus.

Jesus continues the conversation without identifying himself. It’s clear that he knows a lot about the topic. The two travelers are so engaged by this unidentified stranger that they invite him to stay with them, and he does. And at the table, as he took the bread, blessed it, broke it & gave it to them, it was as though he leaned in & said, “Tell him Buddy Holly is here to see him.”

The identity of the risen Jesus is made known in the breaking & sharing of bread.

Everything about that entire conversation changed. Suddenly, they weren’t just talking about Jesus, they were talking with Jesus. "Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?"

...

Is your heart burning today? Does it make your heart burn within you to know that we are not here simply to talk about Jesus, but that Jesus is present…that Jesus is here with you in this world? We make a mistake if we think that we come here so that God can give us some kind of antacid to soothe the heartburn that life gives us. When we encounter Immanuel, God with us, it makes our hearts burn. If that burning doesn’t seem to be ignited within you just yet, it is possible (I would even say probable…I would even say certain) that you are in the same position as the two travelers on the road to Emmaus. You are in the same position as Maria Elena in that Manhattan lobby. You're waiting for God to be revealed, waiting for God to show up. Maybe you're just living your life not even expecting God to show up, and, without any advanced notice,
God has simply shown up and is in the process of letting you realize it.

Jesus shows up in three ways in this story. I think all three of them are equally true of how Jesus comes to us today. Jesus first comes to them through the story and scriptures. Through the things they were already talking about, and as Jesus himself showed as he explained the scriptures to them. Jesus comes to us through the story and the scriptures as we open them up and read together. As one of us stands up here and takes our best shot at pointing to Christ in the witness of scripture. As we gather around the story and the scriptures, we are not simply talking about Jesus, Jesus is here with us.

Jesus is also revealed in the breaking of the bread. Perhaps the single most unifying act of Christians from our very beginnings is the simple meal in which Christ is revealed in the breaking of the bread. This meal that we gather for today as we celebrate the open invitation of Jesus: the open invitation that has been accepted for the first time by seven of our children. I remember receiving Holy Communion for the first time, and what I remember the most all these years later is that it was the first time I ever tasted wine. As I left the table, I could feel this warmth radiating in my chest. It was a good warmth. It was as though I left the table saying “wasn’t my heart burning within me?”

That is my prayer for the children that celebrate coming to the table today. In fact, it is my prayer for every one of us: that we celebrate that open invitation every time we come to the table. That we marvel in the wonderful mystery that this is not simply a meal about Jesus, Jesus is present in this meal.

Finally, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus is revealed in a stranger. As we go about our lives, Christ comes to us every single day in the faces of strangers that we meet along the way. And as we allow ourselves to be opened to others, even the stranger, everything can change as we experience Jesus present in our world.

God finds so many ways to show up in our lives. Perhaps it’s because we’re not always tuned in to God’s presence. Perhaps it’s because God will go to any length to get through to us. It certainly seems that way when you hear the story of Jesus.

As you travel today along the road that your life is journeying, be ready. Be hopeful that God will show up and cause your heart to burn. God is already there. You may not even realize it.
In the story and the scriptures, in the breaking of the bread, in the face of the stranger. God is already there.

I leave you with a piece of sacred poetry
Written by Dan Bollerud, a fellow Lutheran from Anchorage, Alaska
Reflecting on this story of Jesus appearing along the road to Emmaus:

I don’t know if it’s true
I have my doubts like everyone else
I’m a pilgrim
a stranger
searching for that
for which my soul yearns
and when I hear the Word
and sing the songs
something happens within me
and I begin to feel at peace
there are times the words seem written
for me
and when I hear them
my heart burns with a peace
and love
and discomfort
I can’t explain
but it is in the coming forward
and taking that piece of bread
that cup of wine
and hearing the words
This is my body
This is my blood
Given for you for forgiveness
For life
that my heart leaps
and I know Christ

AMEN.

Clinton, Obama and Wright...OH MY!!

The Lutheran Zephyr posted about Clinton's Troubling Politics of Choosing Church:

"We have a choice when it comes to our pastors and the churches we attend."- Senator Hillary Clinton, in response to a reporter's question about Barack Obama, his church, and its fiery former pastor, The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. (from AP article Clinton Would Have Left Obama's Pastor)

These words sent a chill down my spine.

"We have a choice when it comes to our pastors and the churches we attend."

It wasn't enough for Senator Clinton to critique Pastor Wright. It wasn't enough for Senator Clinton to critique Pastor Wright's role as an unpaid adviser to Senator Obama's presidential campaign. No. These words are much more than that. These words go to the core of religious and political identity, and suggest that religious identity should answer to political identity.

Take the time to read the entire post if you can, but here's where it ends:

"Yes, we have a choice whether to listen to preachers shout 'God damn America,' or who sing 'God bless America.' And Senator Clinton and I would make different choices, it seems to me. Give me the preacher who calls the nation on its sins any day over the preacher who confuses God and country. Give me the preacher who stands in the tradition of Old Testament prophets calling political leaders to task rather than the one who fails to be moved by the suffering this great nation often leaves in its wake. Give me the preacher who considers Religious Faith before National Patriotism, Creed before Pledge, God before Country."

These words from Senator Clinton have troubled me ever since I read them. They troubled me for the reasons that Chris (Lutheran Zephyr) mentions. On another level, beyond politics, it suggests that your participation in a church, or decision to "hightail it outta there" can be based on whatever fiat or preference you might have, even if it is rooted in self-absorption (i.e. "sin"). There is also the importance of the true community that a congregation is called to be. God's kingdom is built as we are in relationship with other people...real people...as they are. Even if they don't jive with what I want, what I think, what I expect. Bonhoeffer, in Life Together (pg. 27) puts it this way:

Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves. ... Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it.

Bohoeffer's insight would suggest that Senator Obama has taken the more faithful approach by voicing his disagreement with his pastor while maintaining his embrace of that community, including the one with whom he differs. Senator Clinton's suggestion to find a different pastor and church misses the gift of what a congregation is: real people, sinners and saints each one of them, in relationship. That doesn't sound politically rewarding. It sounds messy, actually. But that's how God seems to want to build this kingdom "on earth as in heaven".

I've been contemplating this as I've been reading Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul by David L. Goetz.

"Size Matters" (From nakedpastor)

Fear Muddles the Work of Peace

Sermon - Easter 2A - March 30, 2008
John 20:19-31
Temple Lutheran Church

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

These are the words that greet us as our Easter celebration continues--the words the disciples heard on the evening after the resurrection: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

As word of the Resurrection begins to circulate, we find the disciples locked in a room paralyzed by fear. Fear will make you do strange things sometimes. Fear changes the way you think, behave and relate to others. Fear can cause us to lose regard for the rest of the world and be concerned only about our own safety in the face of what we fear.

Fear is an important recurring theme in scripture. 365 times in scripture we hear the words “Fear not…be not afraid, do not fear”. 365 times. That's enough times to reflect upon one of them every day of the year. Over and over, the testimony of scripture includes being set free from fear.

Since this is a leap year, we’ll make today’s passage number 366. We don’t hear the words “Fear not”, but we do witness the risen Jesus coming right into the presence of fear and proclaiming peace… “Peace be with you.”

There’s an important connection to make here. Fear is the biggest barrier to peace in the world and in our lives. Fear muddles the work of peace. Fear leads to suffering. Fear leads to violence.

I learned something this past week, quite by accident. Hopefully some of us knew this (I sure didn’t know), but we are nearing the end of a ten-year worldwide focus on non-violence. In 1998, The United Nations instituted “The decade for a culture of non-violence” to occur from 2001 until 2010. In 1999, our church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pledged to be a part of this decade of promoting peace.

2001-2010. So here we are in 2008, and, well…I don’t know if it’s gone so well thus far.

I imagine that it probably played out a bit like this: plans were probably laid out for the whole ten years. I would guess these plans are probably still in motion today. The decade began in 2001. And then…then came September the 11th. Unthinkable, unacceptable, and unforgettable violence reared its head. Our nation, and much of the world, got into that room with the disciples and locked the doors out of fear.

Fear will make you do strange things sometimes. Fear changes the way you think, behave and relate to others. Fear muddles the work of peace.

The risen Jesus walks right into the middle of that very real fear. This isn’t hypothetical fear. This isn’t the “idea” or “concept” of fear. Jesus walks into a locked room full of people that were convinced that they were the next ones to be dragged out, beaten & crucified. Jesus walks right into the reality of fear and reasserts once again what God is all about: "Peace be with you.”

Jesus…who fulfills God’s promises to the world. Jesus…rejected by humans, but confirmed by God who raised him from the dead in the power of the Holy Spirit so that on earth there might be peace. Jesus…who taught love for one's enemies. Jesus…who reached out to the oppressed, downtrodden, and rejected. Jesus…who prayed for his enemies, even as they tortured him on the cross. Jesus…who reconciled us with God, even when we were enemies of God. Jesus…whose reconciling love of enemy shows us how deeply peace is rooted in who God is. It’s Jesus…who says “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you”

“As the Father has sent me, so I send You."

As followers of Jesus, we are called to continue the work of peace. To build the kingdom Jesus came to commence “on earth as in heaven.” Through the Gospel, the Holy Spirit calls and gathers people from all nations to worship and witness to the God of peace. A people who know Christ, sent into the world to make Christ known.

We make Christ known…
…as we publicly gather to proclaim and celebrate God’s Gospel of peace.
…as we keep alive the news of God’s resolve for peace.
…as we declare that everyone is responsible before God to create peace.
…as we equip ourselves to act for peace in our communities & the world.
…as we sing “Let there be peace on earth…and let it begin…with me.”

We are called to be a movement. We are called to be a community of peace. We are the Body of Christ sent in the world. We are God’s presence in the world…a presence that wages peace.

A faithful presence that at times can disturb the status quo. Especially if the status quo is looking to false sources for peace or security. Or if the status quo forgets that “Loving your enemies” includes not killing them. Or if the status quo confuses loving your country with turning your country into a false god. If your definition of peace is a not rooted in the peace that Jesus announces, the mission of God’s church might disturb your peace.

So if any of you are planning to run for president some day, be warned: it doesn’t take a pastor like Jeremiah Wright to get you in trouble. If the church is living out it’s mission, it’s going to be counter-cultural. It will even be seen as subversive and radical. It will be radical about peace, radical about forgiveness, radical about reconciliation. It will be radical about telling the truth.

The heart of who we are called to be as Christians can be heard in these words of the risen Jesus: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We are sent to be a movement of forgiveness. A community of peace creating bonds among people who are different. A community of peace where we can talk to one another, respect one another, share ideas, hopes, dreams, and values. The Church is a setting of freedom and respect where believers with different perspectives can learn from one another in the unity of faith. No topic should be too controversial or too contentious to discuss as a church. Where better have such discussions?

We live in fearful times during this decade that was intended for non-violence. In the next three weeks in Pennsylvania, and throughout this election year, we will again see and hear those fears used to motivate us. Fear of a recession. Fear of terrorism. Fear of immigrants. Fear of people who are different than me. Fear of a candidate whose race or gender is not the same as presidents 1-43. Once again the candidates and the strategists and the political parties will lick their fingers & hold them up to see which way the winds are blowing. Those winds can be driven by all of these fears, or the church can be the movement that changes the wind. As followers of Jesus, we can walk right into the reality of fear and reassert once again what God is all about. We can wage peace. We can be the body of Christ in the world today.

Jesus sends us into the world. Following Jesus is not a private affair. Personal, yes, but never private. “For God so loved the world” is quite the public statement.

Hear the words of the risen Jesus. Hear the invitation to risk, to an adventure of faith, to being a disciple. Hear the invitation to new birth into a living hope through the resurrection.

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

AMEN.

I owe much of this sermon's inspiration to the ELCA Social Statement on Peace.

Easter Sermon: Jesus has gone ahead of us

Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008
Temple Lutheran Church, Havertown, PA

Scripture: Matt 28:1-10

What an extraordinary morning! What a blessing to come together as a community. To gather and celebrate, to sing praises, to shout “Alleluia!”

There’s just one thing, however, that I’ve got warn you about. Some important news that I’ve got to break to you this morning. If you came here looking for Jesus this morning, this might disappoint you quite a bit. If you came here looking for Jesus this morning, you’re in the wrong place. If you came through these doors looking for Jesus this morning, You’re not going to find Jesus. At least not in the way you might have expected.

Now surely, someone in the room is thinking to themselves, “Now wait a second…didn’t Jesus say ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them?’”
Jesus did say that, and I certainly believe it’s true. However…

The surprise of Easter…the good news of Easter...The Gospel of Easter…is that when you walk through the doors of this building, you do not walk into “God’s house”…You walk into God’s empty tomb! Jesus is not here…he is risen! That is why we sing praise! That is why we shout “Alleluia!”

We gather together and rejoice with two women named Mary who came to find Jesus on that incredible morning. Two women named Mary who were equally confused and amazed to hear the words “Jesus is not here…he has been raised as he said. Come, see the place where he lay…then go quickly and tell his disciples ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee.’” Jesus is not here this morning…Jesus is risen! We are disciples hearing this unexpected news.

Even as we gather here and rejoice, Jesus is already on his way out the door. Jesus is already moving as fast as possible out of this building…this tomb, and out into the world that God loves.
Jesus is already going ahead of us to Galilee. Jesus has gone ahead of us to to Havertown, Upper Darby, Wynnewood, Lansdowne, Philadelphia. Jesus has gone ahead of us into all the world.

Jesus has gone ahead of us…to find the poor, the homeless…and serve them.
Jesus has gone ahead of us…to visit the sick, the lonely…and love them.
Jesus has gone ahead of us…to places of violence…to bring a better way.
Jesus has gone ahead of us…to places of conflict…to bring forgiveness.
Jesus has gone ahead of us…to places where people suffer…to bring hope.
Jesus has gone ahead of us to Galilee…and we are to meet him there.

To say that Jesus has “gone ahead” implies that we are invited to follow. As we go out into the world, we see Jesus there. Easter is not just about all of us coming IN through these doors this morning. Easter is more about the trip you will take OUT through these doors. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead so that we could go to church. Jesus rose from the dead so that we could be the church.

“Church” is not somewhere we go to find Jesus. “Church” is what we become as we follow Jesus into the world. “Church” is what we become as we build God’s kingdom in the world. As we pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done…on EARTH as in heaven.”

We are the Church. We are The Body of Christ, and the body of Christ cannot…MUST NOT… be contained in this building. This building can’t contain the Body of Christ any more that the stone that was rolled away from the tomb.

As you go out through these doors, you don’t leave the church. As you go out through these doors, you become the church. You become the body of Christ. You become the good news of Easter.

Jesus has gone ahead of us. Now it is our time to follow. To be the Church. To go into the world and meet Jesus there.

Like the two women named Mary, we leave the tomb “with fear and great joy”.

There’s plenty to fear. If we go out into the world, there might be people out there. And they might have needs. And they might be suffering. And you might have to have a relationship with them. And you might have to love them. You might have to forgive them. And that might not be quick and easy.

We go out through these doors with fear because we know that the world we go out into is full of problems, whether it be that one person we don’t understand or the problems of our society or our world that seem huge beyond compare.

We go out with fear, but also with great joy! We go out with great joy because we know the one who has gone before us. We know the one who is risen from the dead that we might also have new life. We know the one who came to create God’s kingdom. We go out with fear and great joy because the news that Jesus is risen changes everything! We know the challenge of our mission, but we also know Christ. We know that the tomb is empty & Jesus has gone ahead of us into the world.

Now comes the time to follow. Now comes the time to be the Body of Christ. Now comes the time to build God’s kingdom. Now comes the time to rejoice and shout the Good news of Easter

Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed…Alleluia!

AMEN.

Welcome To Beyond Capernaum

Well, here goes...

Welcome to "Beyond Capernaum", the potential weblog home of Matt Staniz, pastor of Temple Lutheran Church in Havertown, PA. What this blog will contain is still to be determined (mostly by my will to post and your willingness to read). It may contain sermons as they happen at Temple Lutheran Church...perhaps some some older sermons, too. It may contain record reviews, book reviews, concert reviews, random thoughts and musings.

We shall see...