Feelin' a bit Grinchie?

So, on way home from dropping somebody off at bus station - feeling like the Grinch. Twice in one day now, I've opted to take the low road and say 'no' to seemingly innocuous, innocent requests for assistance. One was for baby formula (this the 3rd time in as many months that this request has been made-much more going on in this situation)- the other was this one request made by a gentleman on way from POrtland to N. Calif. This gentleman had some speech difficulties, but seemingly no cognitive issues. He knew what he needed to know - and it worked well for him. He explained his predicament, seemed to get a bit testy as I asked questions, more frustrated with a system or persons that would drop somebody off in the middle of our little town with nary a plausible extrication route. but he explained his situation - I told him I'd make some phone calls and check what could happen. By the time I got off the phone he'd called back saying the folks at the restaurant had given the necessary fare and now just needed a ride to the transit station - which I agreed to provide.

He explained how he'd been given enough to make the first leg of his trip, but when he arrived at that destination he'd need to work in order to fund the remaining portion of his trip. I'm thinking to myself - as bad as I felt/ frustrated as I was with a system/person who'd dropped him off in a seemingly dead-end location such as this - - - now here I was doing the same thing. 'You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch." I hadn't brought a wallet - - didn't have access to cash - - just dropped him off and said fair-well.

When I got back to office, I listened to a phone message from the owner of the restaurant he'd been helped at - - I called back and thanked him for being willing to help - as much as he was able - He explained how the patrons of the restaurant had chipped in and given him the full amount he claimed he needed to complete his journey - with some left over for coffee and a bite to eat.

Wow - - God bless that guy - he knew how to work the system: he got what he needed, and then pushed a little bit more to get just that bit extra. I didn't tell the restaurant owner how he continued asking for more of what he'd already been given. Didn't figure he needed that rain on his parade.

Probably don't need to- shouldn't post this even. This is more for my own cathartic sense of dumping, but I most likely will anyway.

Oh, and an addendum - just had someone drop off $1000 worth of toys and books and stuffed animals and such - - - Wow - may the blessings find their mark.

“Let’s put Christ back in X-mas” “Remember the ‘Reason for the Season’”

Two of the more common statements heard in various locations, various homes, radio, restaurant, church social halls. The sentiment behind these two particular affirmations definitely hold some validity. What with the commercial nature (the huge explosive commercialized nature) of this particular holiday season, it’s easy to see how folks who have not grown up in the church could get the wrong idea about what this Christmas is really about.

I’m not one to typically hop on the bandwagon with rhetorical slogans and such, but I will agree that seemingly over these past few, several, many years, the truer meaning of the birth of a Savior has been buried in all the sales and gift receipts, lost amongst the parties and family gatherings, calendared over with the busyness of the seasons. I’d like to ponder what it might mean to have a nice Christmas celebration.

But I have to admit, when I think of a ‘nice Christmas’ what immediately comes to mind is a tree trimmed with 20+ years of ornaments, lights and candy-canes, an angel on the tip-top, with the base engulfed in brightly wrapped packages, presents, and gifts. Then as the individual presents are distributed, I become a miniature of that tree with my feet ensconced in my gifts. Then, one by one, we open a gift, hoping to be the last person with gifts left to open. Somehow, I’m thinking this image of a ‘nice Christmas’ (the current economic crisis not withstanding) misses the truer meaning that seems to have been set aside some time past.

IN search of a deeper, truer meaning of the incarnation of our God, I’m not even going to address the lists I make of what I’d like – just not going there. So let's start with the gift-lists we compose for those people we’d like to bless; it is the season of giving, after all. We make lists of what to give, what we need to buy, and count the cost to see if we can afford what it is we want to give. The gift list becomes a symbol of what we can afford to give, rather than what we'd like to give. (Maybe this happens simultaneously with the listing process).

But here’s a real necessity for amending process; who wants to wake up in January with a financial hangover from overindulging at the checkout counters (or online carts) leading up to December 25^th. Who wants to wake up in the New Year realizing that one can no longer afford food, rent, or utilities (let alone the credit card payments) for all the indulgent gift giving. Sticking within a budget is the most prudent and safest way of making it through the holiday shopping without buyer’s remorse, come January 2.

But this safe/prudent mentality fails to capture the fuller nature and truth inherent within God’s incarnation in human flesh. It was not safe.; the incarnation was risky; the end result, if not the cross was certainly death by some means. The Incarnation is an all-in, no holds barred gambit on God’s part. In Christ, God stepped into human history, into the flesh and blood and all the messiness associated with the human condition (temptation and all – with the exception of sin). In Christ, in the giving of God’s own self, the barriers separating God from humanity were removed, the chasm of ‘otherness’ that humanity could not traverse was bridged, and God and humanity were able, once again, to walk together – almost like it had been in the Garden.

The gift God gives in the Incarnation of the Christ Child, is far deeper and more foundational than peace, hope, love, and joy; the gift God gives is being fully present to the needs of a people walking in darkness, fully open to the hurts and frustrations of a people who are feeling the weight of oppression; package God delivers in this season is one that is not wrapped up, but one that is open, fully visible, fully available –in the Christ Child.

This Christmas holiday season, rather than focusing on what presents we’re going to give (more to the point, how much we’re going to spend) I invite us all to imagine what it would be like for us to embody the gift of the presence our God (Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer) – what would it mean for us to give ourselves fully, intentionally, without barrier to our friends and family around us, to the world in which we reside, to the stranger flying a sign by the freeway onramp, to the mindset walking in darkness in search of a little Good News.

I wish you a truly merry and fully present Christmas this year.

Rev. Mike

'What and Why'

The story’s been told – I’m sure at some have heard this:

A Mother and young daughter were busy in the kitchen preparing the food for the holiday meal. The mother asked the daughter to get the ham out of the refrigerator and the knife from the drawer. The mother cut the end off the ham, placed it in the roasting pan, and then, as she opened the oven door to begin the cooking, the young girl gave her mother a quizzical look and asked, “Why did you cut the end off the ham like that?” The mother replied, “for as long as I can remember, I saw that your grandma cut the end off the ham; I guess I never really thought about it. But, I don’t know. Let me call you grandma and find out.”

She made the phone call to her mom, explaining the situation and the question ‘Why do we cut the end off the ham before it goes in the roasting pan?’ To which the mom (grandma) replied, “Uh, I don’t know why. As far back as I can remember I’ve helped my mother prepare the ham and she always cut the end off, but I guess I never really knew why.”

As the family gathered for their holiday meal, the opportunity to ask the great grandmother the unanswered question, “Why do we cut the end off the ham before putting it in to be roasted?” to which she responded – “I don’t know why you do it, but I cut the end off the ham so it would fit in my roasting pan.”

A humorous look at a dynamic of passing along family traditions, from one generation to the next – and a realization that in addition to question of ‘what’ (what traditions, rituals, where do we spend the summers, where do we vacation, how do we pay bills) it’s also important, if we are to pass on a fuller sense of the family tradition, the question of ‘why’ must be entertained for sure.

And so is the function of a well-put together Christian Education program in any church: entertaining both the ‘What’ and the ‘Why’ questions. Christian Education – in passing our Christian traditions, ritual (our faith) along to the coming generations – engages the question of ‘What.’ What do we believe? What are the stories in the Bible? What does God expect of humanity? What happened 2000years ago that changed how we understand the nature of power? What happened when God Spoke? (What happens when God Speaks?) These, and more, are all questions that some people have entertained in Sunday school as they were growing up? Others, as they have come to the Christian faith have learned to answer these question. As we meet for Bible study – sometimes it’s the ‘What’ questions that we stop to ponder.

And so addressing ‘What’ the Bible says – we learn within these sacred texts history, and poetry; we hear God saying ‘Thou shalt not’ and we hear God also saying ‘Thou Shall Do;” we hear the Word of God indicting humanity for a prideful arrogance and see that arrogance played out in the course of the history of the people; we read of the people’s humble reliance upon their (our) redeemer and note the restful shalom the people are invited to enjoy.

The ‘What’ questions are integral questions that help give shape to a community, but in many ways the ‘What’ questions relegate the story to the past. It’s in asking the ‘Why’ questions that we engage the story and allow it to find a fuller meaning in our lives in the here and now; ‘why’ did God create light on the first day, but it was Day 4 that the sun, moon, and stars were created? Why did God give us these specific 10 commandments? Why is God so concerned with the widows, orphans, resident aliens? Why was Christ born in such a slowly state? (Should be noted that another way of phrasing the ‘Why’ questions is by asking ‘what is the significance of {or meaning of} or even by asking ‘Why is this important?) However we ask the ‘Why’ questions – it’s in the asking of them that we are able to enter into the historical events, the parable teachings, the poetic meditations.

The ‘What’ questions seem to be less difficult that they ‘Why’; more often than not, it’s in asking ‘why’ that we find ourselves wrestling with the answers, grappling with what we think the meaning should be, yet finding significance we’d not previously observed. As Jacob wrestled with God and (in addition to his bum hip) he received blessing of newly revealed name and purpose in his life. Maybe the hip thing was a small price to pay; but then again, ???

As we endeavor to find ways of bringing depth of knowledge, meaning and participation through our Christian Education program, I invite your prayers, your encouragement, your participating questions of ‘What’ and ‘Why.’ As we take seriously the challenge before us to better understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of God’s claim upon our lives, generations following in our footsteps will be lead and encouraged to do likewise: take seriously God’s calling to be stewards of the God’s gift of creation, to be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, and embody power perfected through servant leadership. As we wrestle with our faith, may God bless you.

Draft of Stewardship Letter

In seasons past, you have found a copy of a budget (either a ‘Line-item’ or ‘Narrative’) accompanying the yearly ‘Stewardship Letter.’ Using either of the two documents, you’ve been asked to consider the financial needs of 1^st Presbyterian Church of Phoenix as you made your financial plans and commitments for the coming year, and you’ve been encouraged to give generously. This year, in anticipation of 2011, you are invited to consider something quite different: your own particular needs.

This invitation is not intended to be an exercise to assess how much you’ll be able to give the church, whether the particular financial situation you face at home can be flexed to free up some additional financial contributions, or whether the increased expenses and decreased income translates to less contribution in the offering plate for 2011. It is intended to be a reflection, a meditation, a prayerful consideration of your needs: your need to give.

There are many reasons why we give; there are just as many (if not more) ways to give. We can give of our time; we can share the talents, gifts, skills, and abilities with which we have been blessed, and all for the greater glory of God. We can (and do) give to medical research, to charity organizations, to philanthropic causes, to the person standing on the street corner. We can (and do) give to those organizations and causes that impact our lives, help make us better, seek to make the world a better place to live. We give so that people whose lives have been uprooted by tragedy need not be swallowed up by despair; we give so others will know they are not alone. We are a giving people, and the truth is, it feels good to give.

Why does it feel good to give? Because that’s the way we’re internally hard-wired. In creating humanity in God’s own image, God imbued humanity with the best of the Divine’s traits: the capacity to Love, willingness to be in relation with others, and desire to do all things with a generous spirit.

Another way of speaking to purpose is to imagine a cup. The intent of cup is not simply to be full, where it may sit on a table or on a shelf with contents near to spilling over the rim, but to be filled, and then drained, to be filled, and once more drained with the anticipation of being filled yet again. That is the intent and purpose of a cup.

Similarly, God blesses generously; God fills to overflowing, not that we should ever be satisfied or content with just being full, but that we should be fulfilled in living into our purpose by allowing God’s abundance to joyfully flow through our God-created lives. It’s joy we can experience as we render to God from the abundance that God has given us.

In this season of giving thanks for the promise of Life that God shares, you are invited to prayerfully consider the joy with which you will share God’s blessings in the coming year and into the years to come.

October Phountains in Phoenix

‘Come Thou Font of Every Blessing’ could easily be a theme song for our trip to Spain this past summer. Everywhere we went – there were fountains. Big fountain, little fountains, fountains under repair, fountains newly constructed: fountains fountains everywhere – yet not a drop to drink (no I don’t think I’d have trusted the sanitary conditions of the h2o flowing through those pipes.)

Shawn laughed at me for the number of photos that took in the fountain theme – and there are quite a few. Water is a symbol of life, if not the source of life – and in those places where the fountains were empty, sitting devoid of water, there held a certain sadness, even a pall over the setting, as I imagined the once free-flowing coursing though and splashing upon the rocks and stone used in the making of each fountain.

How much water had flowed across each facet of these fountains? How many hundreds of years had these symbols withstood the soft but continually persistent force? From the baptismal fonts in the cathedrals to the aqueduct in Segovia, the wear-marks, the grooves, the slow eroding of the rock tells a story of the life these fountains lived, for the movement of the water is not without consequence. Though it may not be as dramatic an observation as witnessing a raging river shove boulders and rocks and gravel downstream, cutting an ever-widening path though the mountain canyon, time-lapse photography over the centuries would reveal course surfaces smoothed, sharp edges rounded – a visible witness to the impact the water has had over a lifetime.

In a similar way, the Holy Spirit leaves its mark upon our lives, both individually and communally. What residual changes has the Source of Life left upon you? Where are the rough places honed smooth? Where’s the indicative watermark of the Holy Spirit upon your life, letting others know of the freely flowing Spirit moving within your being? Hopefully you don’t scrub it clean so as to remove any evidence that the Holy Spirit had ever left its mark in your life.

There’s a reason for our filling the Baptismal Font each Sunday in worship – to serve as a reminder of what it is that binds us together as Christians – namely the claiming, the cleansing, the anointing, the rescuing that God – by the power of the Holy Spirit- does with each of us. Not a onetime deal, baptism is a lifetime experience, through which the power of God fills, renews, strengthens, emboldens, reveals, comforts, restrains, contains, and explodes the ministries of the Good News that because God is merciful, God forgives – you, me, us, them.

It’s the stories of this mercy flowing though community that give shape and distinction our calling as the Church – the body of Christ bearing witness to God’s mercy. As we think about what it means for the Spirit to flow through us, know that your acts of prayerful worship give shape and definition to our life as The Church; know that each decision, observation, and question; each conversation, concern, inquiry, receptive listening and prayerful response; each time we allow the Spirit of God’s Word to shape our life together, God uses us to shape one person, one aspect or dimension of life. God proclaims ‘You are forgiven’ through this body that is 1^st Presbyterian Church of Phoenix.

I ask you to prayerfully consider how it is God’s Spirit is flowing through you and through 1^st PC Phoenix with the Gospel of grace and mercy – and how it will be that this freely flowing Gospel will shape, not only 1stPC Phoenix, but the community of Phoenix, the Rogue Valley, and the whole world in which we are residents.

Rev. Mike

Newsletter Article for FirstPressPhoenix

Our trip to Spain was, well, in a word, Amazing. Flying into Madrid, maneuvering the public transit system – taking a bus to visit the fortress of Avila (and the accompanying churches and cathedrals); continuing the trek to Segovia , physically touching the Roman aquaduct that’s in excess of 2000 years old, witnessing a real, honest to goodness castle (Disney’s castles definitely pales by comparison) and taking in more chapels and cathedral of Segovia; wandering through the museums of Madrid (the Prada, The Thyssen, and Renia Sofia) visually touching the artwork spanning the past 2000+ years; dining in a variety of plazas, one of which saw an array of public spectacles from bull fights to the Spanish Inquisition (I hadn’t expected that.); taking photos of the wonders, the buildings, the people, the fountains (lots of fountains) the sculptures, the waterfalls, the gardens, the stonework, the plazas (we have lots of photos, some 550 digital images); swimming in the pool@ University Europa de Madrid; meditating on life and ministry in the Rogue Valley; praying for the people sitting in the pews of 1^st PC Phoenix, those being served home communion, as well as those declining to be served home communion or who’ve decided to not be present with us in worship, those who partner with 1^st PC in reaching out to impact the Phoenix/Talent communities, those who are impacted by this partnership outreach. It was an active time away in another part of the world.

I need to extend a word of thanks to the kind, compassionate people of Spain who put up with my broken (nonexistent) language skills. I am intrigued by the idea of going through life (well 10 days of life) really not understanding the background noise of what’s being said around me. We spent the 10 days riding the subway and public buses; people talked, laughed, shared, lived – and I was oblivious to much/most of what was going on verbally around me. When you think about it – we spend much of our time dropping eves on conversations around us – hearing tidbits of experience simply by proximity to those around us – the shopping center, the check-out lane, passing by the street; it was almost as though I was on an informational blackout.

This lack of auditory/informational stimulus helped me realize that this venture overseas was very much one of ‘place’ rather than one of ‘relation’. I didn’t get to talk with people – find out about them, who they are, hopes dreams, failures, successes, and fears. I sat with ‘place’ and ‘images’ - to reflect on how these combine to in part meaning, from an outside, uneducated perspective. And in this vein, I can share what I saw, as well as what I did not see.

Notably, I did not see many persons living with obesity (fellow tourist or resident); I did not witness the authorities rousting the street peddlers on the street corners; I did not observe overtly visible reminders of the terrorist subway bombing from March of 2004.

What I did see was stone: lots and lots and lots of stone. From fountains to buildings to walkways and roadways; from constructions handed down through antiquity to those of recent genesis; from the floor coverings in the most lavish palaces and cathedrals to those in a less-than-highend hotel (and even university dormitory). Stone was everywhere and everything I saw – there carried an air of precision, of permanence, of intentional planning for the future.

As the church, we too have a foundation on stone or rock. Jesus is the Rock of our salvation; he is the stone which the builders cast aside, but has become the cornerstone of our life in faith together. How is it that Jesus the Christ, the incarnate mercy of God that is the fulfillment to the Law, the subject and object of the Good News (Gospel) extended to all; how does this Stone draw this same pervasive hold upon all we see, all we do - all we build? Could it be that this Stone, as it gives shape and meaning to life, holds the key to who God hopes (intends) for us to become?

In months to come, the images of permanence, fluidity, and intentionality will enter into my reflections through these newsletter articles. I welcome your thoughts, observations, discussions. Peace,

Rev. Mike

hope and fear of congregational growth.

Upon entering a congregation and waiting and biding the time it takes to gain folks trust to lead in a new direction - my fear is that by the time that happens, I'll become assimilated to the community's sense of value and will no longer care to lead the changes I once thought so urgent.

Dear God, may your Word speak every fresh, in each new day. "Be not conformed to the thinking of this congregation, but be transformed by the renewing Spirit in your mind."

When churches (congregations) retire

Been mulling over some of these dynamics of late -

The building of life - the building of a life -

When a couple starts out their life together, most often (though not exclusively) the early years of their togetherness are spent from paycheck to paycheck. Often there is enough money to make ends meet: roof over their head, food on table, utilities paid - a little for extra curricular expenditures, but not much else. time goes one and they become a little more established - and begin to plan to build a family. There are expenses associated with this process that only begin at the medical costs associated with bringing a child into this world. There's food, clothing, housing, furniture, schooling, activities, recreation, games, providing for their spiritual formation, ensuring ongoing health and wholeness as the child grows. Adding multiple children to this dynamic serves to ramp up the expenses incurred while building the family.

Now, God bless those who were either independently wealthy or sufficiently wealthy enough to be able to begin a savings plan for retirement during this phase of the family building process, but that was not my experience (and believe for a vast number of people, this was not the case, either) during this building phase, establishing a savings portfolio was low to non-existent on their radar screens.

Not until the the family get a little older, kids become young adults and become a little more self-sufficient (although, they'll always need their parents) that thoughts have turned to putting a little away into a savings account: we begin to be a little more focussed on that time when we'll no longer earn a monthly salary and we'll enter into that rest known as 'retirement.'

Now, it seems from folks I hear and observe, that the balancing acts of retirement is where 1) being able to play and enjoy the freedom of not having to work, intersects with 2) ensuring that the funds we saved or receive off of our pension last long enough to see us into our final earthly resting place.

during this phase of retirement, we're no longer concerned with building a family, although we sure like when the grandkids come to visit (but it's also equally nice when they go back home, too.) without the emphasis in 'building' we're freed to financially coast as much as we're able to - hoping we don't run out of financial momentum before our time expires.

I contend that this is the mentality that holds hostage many in the 'church' today (most-likely without respect to denominational affiliation). Many of us are part of congregations that are really only focused on one thing - ensuring that finances last long enough to see us into the grave (and maybe throw a grand marker up so someone will maybe remember us.)

How many churches are trying to grow, wanting to grow, feeling the need to grow, but are attempting to do so through a financial mode more suited to retirement demands than to growth demands.

We cannot sit on the funds we have as thought they're ecclesial nest-egs that will one-day hopefully hatch fully formed younger versions of ourself. We have to be willing to invest, not in the banking system, but in people: the next generation. The stewardship to which God calls us is not a matter of ensuring we're making Xx% on our investment portfolio, as much as it is the building and enabling of persons to rest upon the God of Creation, Redemption, and Sustenance; and to see THAT God, the one who invested Godself wholly and fully, lovingly, graciously, forgivingly, mercifully - experienced through their lives.

If we as congregations, cannot find the joy and excitement about the opportunities available for us to build God's family, then we have hit the retirement age, and the next step is a deep 6. - Are we a people shaped by growth and life? or a people molded by retirement.

Stock Market Evangelism: 21st Century Crash

Ah, the wonder of the stock market. The easiest money every made. Had one's hard earned cash over to someone else (the brokerage firm) and let them work their mojo on it - and in a perfect world - everybody comes out a winner on the other side. We may worry about it, we may kibitz with the brokerage firm, we may questions certain decisions (we may even act on our own behalf as the broker) but truth be known - we do nothing.

We, as the investor, do absolutely nothing. Yes there is a risk involved as far as potential financial loss; but let me say it again, we do nothing whatsoever to cause or to create the opportunity for those funds to multiply. They do so on their own; or they fail on their own - with no real effort on the part of the investor. It's easy money.

Now, from one perspective, I could see this as an example of how Paul described the growth and maturation of faith. "I planted the seed, watered it, but it was God who gave the growth." Well, I'm looking at this stock market dynamic a bit differently. It was easy money - with no work on the part of the investors.

The 'easy' part was what contributed to the collapse in 2008/2009 of Wall Street. Everyday folks, trusting people, people who acted in good faith - perhaps a bit naive on their part when we look into some of the investment schemes that went belly up in this same time frame (Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme comes to mind) - but for the most part these were/are people who genuinely put their trust, their hopes in the promises of what others could do with their assets - And they they woke up one morning to find it had all disappeared. A painful reality for some folks, many folk, to find that what they had worked so hard for, and put away in hopes that it would work even harder - was in one lightening flash of a moment, gone. With little hopes of regain, recovering, re-creating the portfolio. It was easy money; no real work to be done to earn it; and it was gone.

I'm seeing a real connection within the life of the church congregation and how we feel about the stock market; some may believe I'm reflecting the congregation in which I serve, but as much as I've talked with, listened to, and gleaned information from others - I think this is a present reality for many parts of the church from coast to coast and demographic to demographic.

That reality? We treat evangelism like we treat the stock market.

Churches, congregations, leaders, parishioners understand the idea of evangelism and church growth (numerical at any rate) the same way we understand the stock market. If we contribute to the church funds, if we spend our time, if we invest what we can - then naturally, it's gonna grow; it always has. 'I' don't have to do any real work, I don't have to change, or be changed - I can simply keep living my life as I always wanted to and the church will just grow. (I don't know how, God gives the growth) -

so, is it any wonder, with this understanding of church growth and evangelism (or evangelism and church growth - or ??) feeling as though we could invest anything less than our full selves - the hard work, the long joyous struggle of sharing the gospel - that the church, like the stock market is experiencing a crash: a crash of membership, crash of purpose, a crash of meaning and identity.

It's always been easy - easy membership. Someone else has done it for us; I haven't had to think about what I believe and how it's lived out in the public arena. The gospel gets shared, people join - and 'I' never have to be bothered with the whys and wherefores. It just happened.

Well, we're in an age where we now have to be conscious about how our lives reflect the gospel.

(At this point in writing - the number of directions the next 27 pages could take are vast and numerous - would entertain others' thoughts and perspectives - Blessings.)

The Joy Foot Club

As some out there may know FootJoy is a brand of golf shoes (may have some other outlets in the sporting and/or non sporting realms as well, don't know). As the name implies, or rather hopes, in wearing this said product upon one's feet, said feet will feel an overwhelming sense of joy at the prospect of wandering for 18 holes of golf, seeking that which is lost (namely a little white ball). This perspective on 'Footjoy' has nothing to do with the nature and direction of this pontification. This piece of writing will encompass the nature of only Christ-like leadership, but Christ's Lordship in its truest form.

We, in the christian tradition, live with paradoxical claims and tensions that to a rationally minded world may not make sense. The nature of the trinity, the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus the Christ we easily explain away with the great turn of phrase - "It's a mystery."

Now, really, for the most part, I'm okay with tension, ambiguity, paradoxes in a variety of different forms, but one in particular, I believe to be particularly troublesome in a way that presents, not a paradox of the gospel, but an outright bipolar expression of the gospel; this would be the nature of the power, glory, and majesty the Lordship of Jesus the Christ.

When I hear descriptions of the second coming of the Christ, the images shared combine to paint a picture of gold covered walls, pearly gates, God and Christ sitting atop what can really only be described as Mt. Olympus (Christ slightly lower -holy Spirit's there somewhere) with a parade of people awaiting to have their divine visa stamped for entrance into the Kingdom. The 6 winged cherubim from Isaiah flying above the assembly - with two wings they were flying, two they were covering their face, with two their feet. for some reason, they didn't see fit to cover their 'regles', but that's for another conversation.

With all the Glory, Majesty, Might, and POWER of God on display in these combined images, one cannot help but see every knee bowing and every tongue confessing to the glory of the Lord . . . . This obviously is what the power of God's leadership and might and majesty of the Lord God Almighty is about and progressing toward.

But we have a problem if we think to portray this as the full and complete (or even partial) vision of the Lordship of Jesus the Christ. If we wish to espouse that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow; if we wish to uplift the fullness of God dwelling within this man of Gallilee; that Christ is/was fully Creator and fully creation; that who God is - Jesus the Christ is; - - - then I think we need to bring to this image of the second coming, of the triumphal re-entry of the Christ with trumpets blaring and knees bowing - the image John shared in his gospel account of the last time Jesus met with the disciples - where he shared the true expression of leadership/Divine Lordship - that being expressed through kneeling down and washing the feet his followers.

Where in our triumphal, power-hungry narratives of human history and action do we have space for this expression of what the Living Word of God said was the truest act of leadership? I have a hard time visualizing many (any) of our leaders, whether secular or religious from embracing this aspect of the gospel vocation of leader.

In seeking to be faithful, in holding our leaders (and ourselves) accountable to their (our) espoused faith (for those who purport to be xian, at any rate) encouraging that they (we) live out this divine directive (and to do so with joy not out of some sense of duty and obligation) will be a right step in living into a fuller expression of God's present but not yet kingdom.

Welcome the joy in washing another's foot.

A year in the life of FPC Phoenix

From the Pastor

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the pages that follow, the ideas, thoughts, hopes, and actions highlighted enumerate the ways that First Presbyterian Church of Phoenix, Oregon has sought to live out our calling to live as the Body of Christ in this part of the Rogue Valley.

If I were to say that 2009 was a particularly easy year for any, whether inside or outside a particular congregation, you’d wonder where exactly I’d been for the past year. The economic issues facing our country and our region have certainly been felt within the life of this particular congregation. From the first months of 2009, the session began looking for ways that some of our budgeted expenses could be reduced or eliminated. We had some significant discussions regarding spending and came to some difficult decisions on how/where to stop spending against the budget. Areas where spending was frozen were the local mission and Community assistance line items, we found alternate ways of arranging for pulpit supply when I was not available to preach, and we started printing the bulletin in house (which greatly decreased our printing expenses.)

But with the decrease in spending seen as a necessity for the continuation of First Presbyterian Church, the necessity to continue being a tangible resource for people suffering the burdens of this economic climate. And so your session explored options on how we might continue feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing shelter for the cold, and company for the lonely. Taking the funds held for Mission reserves, we combined it with funds donated specifically for the purpose of providing assistance in ways in keeping with being the Body of Christ.

In looking at the financial information, the income and expenses, and assets that we have, it is clear that we are a congregation living in faith, that we are a congregation actively trusting that God will (and has) provided for the means for this congregation live into our calling as the Body of Christ. In this economic climate, it’s not fair or right to insist that you give more to fund the church budget; but what I will ask, is that for the ways that you do contribute (and I’m sure that everybody can find themselves within the pages to follow somewhere) for the ways that you are making contributions that you allow joy to abound and that you rejoice that God is able to make use of each of our contributions.

Joy – this one simple three-lettered word, as small as it may be, is one ideal I felt drawing FPC Phoenix through 2009 - that search for the joyous. Did you feel it?

Joy, did you feel it? Worship was a time of expressing joy this past year. In a session meeting, the question, (or statement) was raised, “Why don’t we sing more about Joy?” (or something along those lines.) And so that got me thinking about how we express (experience?) joy through our worship singing. Was it simply a matter of tempo? Of higher energy? – we brought in guitars along with the piano, introduced (again) the trumpet to accompany some hymns. We alternated the familiar in with lesser known hymns – introduced a refrain “The trees of the Field” – ‘You shall go out with joy - - -‘ as a closing benediction to our worship; did you?

As we passed the Peace of Christ to one another in our worship setting, did you see joy in one another’s eyes? If not, did you follow up with a question, a phone call, a word of encouragement? The hand extended as a symbol of your baptism, did you receive it joyously, eager to receive and embrace it? The thing about Joy, is it’s not contingent on external variables – Joy is internally driven.

Joy – did you feel it? Did you experience it as you passed the elements of communion to your brothers and sisters? As you held the plate how did your smile feel? How was that warming in your heart interpreted? As you received the cup from your neighbor, how did you acknowledge in joy, not only the gift given, but the bearer of that gift? You did, did you feel it? How did you serve the one next to you in Joy?

Joy and awe went forth from the table around which we gather to the table we extended to those unable to make it for Sunday morning Worship. The care, the love, the joy I witnessed between those being served and those serving home-communion was palpable. As great a joy as it is to serve the sacrament, the rekindling of memories I witnessed and shared, can be almost just as sacramental – that means through which God’s grace is made known and more tangible.

That same joy can be sensed through our potluck table celebrations each month, through the Thanksgiving dinner, through our observance of the Seder on Maundy Thursday, as well as our gatherings for our Tuesday evening Soup, Song and Study. These times are sacramental (just maybe not with a capital ‘S’), for whenever we gather for meal and bread is broken, we’re to receive in joy the gift of life Christ gave to us, in himself. We certainly have ample opportunities to share in this Joy; can you feel it? “I come with Joy to serve the Lord – forgiven, loved, and freed . . .” Did you? (Presbyterian Hymnal #507)

It has been my joy this past year to serve you as pastor. To sit with you and listen, to share in thoughts and feelings, to pray with and hear your hearts come through prayer. It’s been an honor to be present with you through the darkest times, as well as some of the brightest, most exciting: to watch as you take some of those uneasy, unsteady steps of faith.

It has been a joy of mine to serve you in the wider church as Vice-moderator of Cascades Presbytery; I was invited to participate in the joyous celebrations of area congregations – new pastor ordinations and installations, retirement celebrations, congregational birthdays. As a member of the presbytery’s Worship Design Team, I was able to prepare worship for the whole of the presbytery of Cascades. As a regional representative for the Seminary Support Network (Theological Education Fund Rep.), I was thrilled to step into the opportunity to invite Rose Niles to be present in worship, to lead and bring the Word of the Lord to FPC Phoenix. It’s not often that a small church has this opportunity, so I felt it one to embrace and be joyful.

I’ve been overjoyed to share you with the wider Phoenix/Talent community. In service with the Chamber of Commerce (and not simply because they gave us the award for Best Christmas Light display) with area businesses, with the City of Phoenix I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to share the generosity of the body of Christ to the people of the Rogue Valley, even in the midst of such a depressed economic climate. It does my heart good – it’s a joy to hear through the grapevine what kind of impact FPC Phoenix has made in somebody’s life.

In 2009, it would seem that Joy was an attribute that brought us along through the months. As we make our way into and through 2010, let’s be mindful of how the Spirit is drawing us. May we hold tight to the Joy that God has given us, as we experience yet anew, God’s gifts through the Holy Spirit.