Lingering Lenten Yearnings

After getting 2' of snow in less than 2 weeks, the temps have changed and the white stuff is melting. Maybe the dirty, blackened snow piles are a better reminder of Lent for a Lutheran (sinner) that the fresh, white drifts (saint) sitting atop our roof. But Lent also refers to the "lengthening" of days and the modern delusion of "daylight savings time" reinforces that reality and encourages the yearnings for Spring to arrive. Time will tell whether the traditional Yooper talk about a St. Paddy's day storm will come true this year - it is the Upper Peninsula's alternative to Ground Hog Day. Since we are headed for Mpls area this Saturday, I hope it is just that - talk.

We continue to yearn for a new pastor. Why would not someone want to serve a 750 member congregation with a $400K budget and a $300K endowment fund plus a full time staff of 3 and a part-time staff of 5? Any takers out there? The ELCA call process is seriously flawed - money and a troop surge won't fix it. Is it because, as pastors, we are now "professional leaders?", with priorities having to do with vocational options for spouses, equity allowances and opportunities for sabbaticals? Sure, my assessment is biased because I'm retired. Yet I don't yearn for the "good ol' days" - the fields are ripe for harvest, but where are the laborers in the vineyard? Maybe the challenge is not so much "clergy burnout" but clergy who aren't on fire to begin with.

Meanwhile, I listen to my "working" clergy brothers and sisters as they deal with tragic car accidents leaving children without mothers, their serious endeavors to feed their flock not only on Sundays, but also Wednesday nights, and their willingness to laugh in the face of those who expect them to serve 24/7. Thank the Lord for coffee and conversation going together.
Like the prodigal son, I'm thankful for knowing a Father to whom I can return after spending time not in a far off country, but on a couch watching basketball games or the latest episode of "24"

From Transfiguration To Disfiguration

I've been remiss in tending to my blog. Not that it makes a whole lot of difference to that many people, but have been doing some extensive pastoral care work in the parish I formerly served....which is still without a full time pastor. The latest endeavor was to lead Ash Wednesday services. Quite a contrast in texts from the previous Sunday. From mountaintop experiences and dazzling white clothes to smears of black ashes on the foreheads of kneeling penitents. (Dripping smears actually since the person preparing the ashes for me to use added a bit too much oil). I compare such actions with what I see on TV - Brittany shaving her head, lips tatooed on wrists and the continuous prattle about what the stars on going to wear on the red carpet prior to Oscar night. I've never been one to think much about my physical appearance, let alone be that extroverted about my religious piety. But maybe I'm missing something. After all, isn't there a saying about actions speaking louder than words? The Lord had some rather harsh words about people who wanted their prayers and charitable giving to be noticed by others. If anyone has been secretive about their religious practices, I think Lutherans set a pretty high standard. I'm going to ponder that during this Lenten season....secretive doesn't mean inaction....but what do I do and where do I go after washing the ashes off my expansive forehead? Keep in touch.

Epiphany Continues

Worshipped this morning and sat through 2 annual meetings - actually, they were bifuricated annual meetings. In attempting to get more participants, the practice developed in previous years of holding one session following the 8 a.m. service and then another session following the 10:45 service. The HUGE assumption made is that no changes, nominations, or resolutions would be made at either session from the floor. If this happened, there would be big problems and probably another congregational meeting would have to be rescheduled in the future. It was a classic case of "we have done it this way before" and have consoled ourselves by saying more people attended the two sessions as compared to the time when there was only one session. Spell us "quiet Lutherans."

Speaking of spelling (which is really the reason for this blog entry), I was given by one of my Rosie's Diner 10 a.m. coffee cronies a piece he had pulled off the internet. It had a special appeal to those, like my wife, who enjoy "word games" and involved shuffeling letters around from one word or phrase to spell another. Example: Presbyterian can be rearranged to spell, "Best in prayer". I wonder how many Presbys know that? Or George Bush can be respelled as "He Bugs Gore". And my favorite was "Eleven Plus Two" rearranged to spell, "Twelve Plus One." Maybe I'm "Johnny come lately" in discovering this blurb. But it seems to me Epiphany's message also seeks to rearrange the assumptions and understandings people made before the time of Christ....and afterwards...regarding God's plan for salvation and the recipients of God's grace and mercy.
Why should the Son of God get baptized? Why was the good wine saved until last? Why would Jesus alienate his home town folk to the point of they wanting to throw him off Nazareth cliff? Jesus didn't just rearrange spellings - he threw all the conventional religious assumptions up for grabs. Which reminds me....I have more than a few patterns of behavior which need to be rearranged....patterns like prayer, Scripture reading, use of my time, etc., etc., etc. What about you? Yes, it is much easier to sit quietly in the pew and let the world go on as is. There still are a few more weeks of Epiphany to find some answers or surprises. As for spelling, I'm stumped. Dean is Dean

Epiphany Challenge

To quote "American Idol" judge, Paula Abdul...."Anybody can be famous now...it's like a disease." That makes me think twice or more about this blogging stuff...am I "sick" in doing this? Is it funny or tragic to watch the Idol "wannabes" parade across the TV screen only to be insulted, rejected and leave the stage in tears as if they heard for the first time in their lives that they can't carry a tune across the room, let alone before an audience. Now for my "Epiphany Challenge" - is it not the task of the church to make the Babe in Bethlehem known to all the world during this Eiphany season - to let people know they really are "famous" in the sight of the Lord - that by the grace of God, I am acceptable to my Creator, even though Simon C. might think otherwise? No, we don't have a YouTube clip to show or a link to a blog page written by Jesus. We have only a book called the Bible and testimonies from people like you and me about a God who has made Himself known through one who grew up as a carpenter's son in a town called Nazareth. I read that many of those who audition for "Idol" have trekked across the country and have been rejected more than a few times. What keeps them from walking down the block on a Sunday morning to Fifth Lutheran by the Gas Station to hear the "good news"....I am loved.....I am somebody....God does not make junk? Now that's a challenge to consider for the new year.

Epiphany Questions

Am back from church this morning. Have been leading an Adult Forum series highlighting the five modalities of responses Christians have made to society over course of history as described by H. Richard Niebuhr's book, "Christ and Culture". Personally, it has been a real rush....haven't had a chance to do this for a long while. Participants have been not only attentive, but also involved in the discussion and with questions. But this raises for me not an "epiphany moment", but an "epiphany question." Do we always have to have something "new" to capture people's attention or are there "old" resources overlooked, rejected or ignored which have the potential of providing "epiphany moments" for people today in helping them understand their faith and how their faith equips them for living in the world today? After all, H. Richard's stuff has been around for awhile, but you would have thought I had exposed people to the latest religious guru of the day and that this book should have been a hot seller at Borders. Why do worship services have to be promoted as "contemporary"? Isn't all worship "contemporary" in dealing with the present moment and questions and concerns people bring with them on any given Sunday morning? I continue to chuckle when references are made to "new hymns" being used in Lutheran worship services which are, in reality, "golden oldies" the Methodists or Baptists have been singing for years. Maybe my "epiphany moments" depend upon the "epiphany questions" I am willing to ask myself. Or maybe this all is senseless jargon that is of interest and concern only to me. But that's why I am blogging, right? To sort our and single out issues of faith and living which are "current" and "contemporary" to me and my journey.

Another Epiphany Moment

The guys at Rosie's Diner (we meet at 10 a.m. for coffee most days) were in an uproar today arguing about the age-old question, "How much is enough?" You've seen the headlines about the bonuses paid by Wall Street firms - the severance package given to ousted CEO of Home Depot. How much is enough? Tonight, the President of our country will tell us how much is enough in terms of troop strength and funding if we are to be "victorious" (his word, not mine) in Iraq. Will Tiger Woods be enticed to play the last few tourneys of the PGA Tour if the prize money is jacked up to $10 mil? How much is enough?

Now for my Epiphany moment. I now know....I have enough! I don't need any more. I'm safe in the arms of Jesus and the ELCA pension fund. We obviously have more than enough stuff. Why else would there be boxes stacked from floor to ceiling on three walls of my garage? I gave the seminary over half my books when I retired, but I still have texts in my bookcases I have not read, or if I did, it was a long time ago. I HAVE ENOUGH. I don't have to get embroiled in any more arguments. We have three wonderful kids - each with a wondeful spouse - and six incredible grandchildren. WE HAVE ENOUGH! Now I await another "Epiphany" moment...where do I go from here? What do people who have enough do in their remaining days. I'm sure there are a host of people willing to give me answers to that question. I'll let you know when I arrive at my answer to that question.

Epiphany Moments

Epiphany - to make manifest - to reveal or make known. Epiphany is the current church year season. This "blurb" is the result of an "epiphany moment". My son-in-law made known to me how to access this blog page he had set up for me when they were here for Christmas. Until he sent his instructions via e-mail, I was still in the dark and not in the light. I could see "Peterson's Patter" but couldn't do anything about it.

What "Epiphany" moments would you desire for '07. Would it be your Dr. giving you a new medication which would alleviate some pain or discomfort or diminish some kind of health risk you face? Would it be the discovery of a job opportunity which fits your skills and interests and allows you to get out of the "dead end" position you now occupy. Is it your child discovering
and using the "big people's potty" and no longer needing diapers? Is it a moment of finally accepting God's grace and mercy about a "secret sin" that has hovered over your head and poisoned your heart for who knows how many years?

Some might contend every day and every moment are "epiphanies". They might well be. The key is whether we recognize and accept them for being such moments, especially when it comes to our relationship with Christ. I look forward to the coming year as a time for being more alert and having higher expectations regarding epiphany moments. What about you?
Are you looking for them also?