"Before the Cross of Jesus"

Over this past weekend I've found myself thinking about what it means to be "before the cross of Jesus." No, I'm not trying to be melodramatic particularly. What I am trying to say is that there is much to consider when confronted with the modern day "crosses" on which so many of our sisters and brothers around the world are hanging. And so, as some of these came to my awareness once again this past weekend a mixture of guilt and grace also surfaced.

As I was reading the Syracuse Post Standard on Saturday morning, I noticed that Stan Bennett wrote a letter to the editor commending the paper for an article that ran last week about some students at Henninger High School. Stan is an active lay leader at the Malden Road UCC in Mattydale, NY and is nearing completion in the Christian Leadership program of NYSOM. In the newspaper article the students at Henninger decided to say that discrimination and bullying are wrong and have become a local affiliate of the Gay Straight Alliance. Here's a link to the article about the group from Henninger High: http://blog.syracuse.com/voices/2008/02/henninger_organization_reaches.htm/

After reading the paper, I went to check my email and found a comment from Stan to my blog posting on Eboo Patel and his work to promote religious pluralism among young people with his Interfaith Youth Core. Stan directed me to the article on the Henninger Gay Straight Alliance and to an earlier article about the reasons for having such groups: the stories about the gay youth that was beaten and murdered in a junior high school in Oxnard, California.

Stan also said that I might be interested in checking out the website of a group call Soul Force. And so, I did. http://www.soulforce.org/ I was interested especially in the resource on What the Bible Says about Homosexuality on the sight. http://www.soulforce.org/pdf/whatthebiblesays.pdf

On a different front Phyllis Byrd, our missionary to Kenya, has sent an update of happenings in that strife ridden country to Common Global Ministries. For the complete article click on this link http://www.globalministries.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2143&Itemid=1.

In the article she offered a chronicle of the events that have appeared in our newspapers. She wrote of Kofi Annan's work of mediation with thanks given to Condoleesa Rice for her visit last week. Secretary Rice, she wrote, came "with a strong message from President Bush. She was adamant that Kenya should quickly return to governance and that there needs to be real power sharing not an illusion of power sharing between the two parties - ODM and PNU. She advocated for the two sides to have a grand coalition. The European Union said this as well."

Phyllis asked for our prayers for Nobel Laureate, Professor Wangari Maathai, "a conciliatory voice during this process. She lost her parliamentary seat during the recent elections. The government took her security detail away."

Most provocative, to me at least, were her thoughts on the involvement of the Church. She writes,

"I am in the process of writing a sermon that I am struggling with. I am using a familiar text Isaiah 6 and I have entitled the sermon "The sighted blind." It is the passage that starts off: "In the year that King Uzzah died I saw the Lord sitting upon the throne high and lifted up... vs. 9 ... Go and tell this people, Hear but do not understand and see but do not perceive."

I am not sure at what point the community of believers begins to not only see but also perceive. I like the Latin word "percipere" meaning to "seize completely." How does the church completely take hold of justice (or allow justice to take hold of us) and not allow our vision to be blurred by race, ethnicity, class or gender.

Is there an unspoken prerequisite that is in the job advertisement of church leaders and church bureaucrats that says only those that have limited sight, null by mouth, well behaved, who go along with the crowd, and maintain the status quo need apply?

If by some mistake you are hired, despite these prerequisites, you might end up like the late Reverend Vernon Johns Senior pastor of Dexter Ave Baptist church, who was voted out of the church because of his stance for justice, and truth. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King succeeded him. What went into the thinking of the Dexter Ave Baptist church board that hired MLK? Did they think he was a status quo kind of guy that would bask in the presence of the aristocrats and preach sermons that made them feel good? God has a wonderful sense of humor. Rev Johns' ability to "percipere" was the foundation/launching pad needed for Martin Luther King Jr. to launch his non-violence movement in Alabama.

Closer to home, Plymouth Church, Syracuse, hosted an interfaith meeting to learn about the New Sanctuary Movement. The Rev. Donna Schaper, senior pastor at Judson Memorial Church (affiliated with the UCC) in Manhattan, and the Rev. Michael Ellick, staff person of the New Sanctuary Movement and a member at Judson, led the discussion.

New Sanctuary churches are concerned about the care of an advocacy for the rights of immigrants especially as these rights are targeted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. According to the New Sanctuary literature "In the 1980's Sanctuary Movement, giving sanctuary meant housing a refugee in the church. Today, giving sanctuary may not require housing (though it could, depending on the person's circumstances.) Today it means, at a minimum, a commitment to provide moral and spiritual support and advocacy for the immigrant and his/her fmaily, trying to prevent their deportation and to work toward enacting more equitable laws."

Plymouth Church has been studying the issue of justice for immigrant and migrant workers for some time, and have had a longstanding tradition of involvment in the old and new Sanctuary movements. The church is taking part in the annual Labor-Religion Coalition of NYS 40 hour fast to "Welcome the Stranger" March 4-6. The fast begins with an interfaith worship at Assumption Roman Catholic Church, 812 N. Salina St., Syracuse, at 7:00 PM.

Before the cross of Jesus
Our lives are judged today;
The meaning of our eager strife
Is tested by his Way.
Across our restless living
The light streams from his cross,
And by its clear, revealing beams
We measure gain and loss.

There is much about which to be concerned: so many issues, so much injustice, so much over which to feel angry, inadequate, guilty.

I once heard from a Presbyterian clergy friend of mine who doubled as a Jungian dream therapist that there is such a thing a "good guilt". That is, there's guilt that is rightfully ours, things that we actually did say or do, or failed to say or do that cause hurt to someone, somehow. I've also fallen victim, too often, to the other kind of guilt, you know, the guilt that is the gift that keeps on giving. Fortunately, there is also grace, and that, in abundance.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse, Part II

In the introduction to his book, Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel wrote,

"One hundred years ago, the great African American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois famously said, 'The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.' I believe that the twenty-first century will be shaped by the question of the faith line. On one side of the faith line are the religious totalitarians. Their conviction is that only one interpretation of one religion is a legitimate way of being, believing, and belonging on earth. Everyone else needs to be cowed, or converted, or condemned, or killed. On the other side of the faith line are the religious pluralists, who hold that people believing in different creeds and belonging to different communities need to learn to live together. Religious pluralism is neither mere coexistence nor forced consensus, It is a form of proactive cooperation that affirms the identity of the constituent communities while emphasizing that the well-being of each and all depends on the health of the whole. It is the belief that the common good is best served when each community has a chance to make its unique contribution."

In my last posting "A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse, Part I" I offered some thoughts (from others as well as from me) on the shootings at Northern Illinois University and the ever increasing and pervasive violence (especially among youth and young adults) that is afflicting the entire world. I ended that posting with this reference to Bill Green's meditation that appeared in last Sunday's online UCC Stillspeaking Lenten Devotional.

"Faith means getting unstuck. Indeed! And what this says to me is that, if we are stuck in an increasing spiral of violence, faithful people can (must!), with God's help, find a better way to address the needs of our society than merely waiting for horror to happen before we begin working and praying."

Eboo Patel is just such a one that is offering a better way to address the needs of our society. Eboo Patel is an American Muslim, in his early thirties. He has founded the Interfaith Youth Core in the hopes of reaching youth and young adults with the message of religious pluralism before others reach them with more destructive messages that lead to exclusion, hatred and violence.

Does this sound melodramatic? overdrawn? If so, then reading the first few chapters of his book will chill you. It seems to be true that the vast majority of the people that are involved in terrorist activities are under the age of 30. Certainly this was the case for the 4 bombers in London that targeted public transportation a couple of years ago. And it was the case for the 9/11 hijackers.



Patel observed that young people have always played a key role in social movements. Martin Luther King, Jr. was 26 when he led the Montgomery bus boycott. Mathatma Gandhi was younger when he began advocating for equal civil rights for the Indian minority in South Africa. He went on to say.

"We live in an era where the populations of the most religiously volatile areas of the world are strikingly young. Seventy-five percent of India's one billion plus are not yet twenty-five. Eighty-five percent of the people who live in the Palestinian territories are under age thirty-three. More than two-thirds of the people of Iran are under age thirty. The median age in Iraq is nineteen and a half. All of these people are stranding on the faith line. Whose message are they hearing?"

Whose, indeed! He went on to talk about those that are seeking ways in which to live together as people of different faiths, races, nationalities and ethnicities with those that end up promoting hate. He wondered,

"How does one ordinary young person's commitment to a religion turn into a
suicide mission and another ordinary young person's commitment to that same
faith become an organization devoted to pluralism? The answer, I believe, lies in the influences young people have, the programs and people who shape their religious identities."

He also wrote of his own life as an American Muslim growing up in a Chicago suburb. He wrote of how he understood the anger and the hopeless that comes from a rejection of one's faith and race from the broader community. And, he recognized how these feelings could and did devolve into violence. Therefore, he knew how some young people could be seduced by charismatic leaders who were gifted in entraping them in hateful ideologies, and evil acts of violence. These leaders specifically reached out to these youth, listened to their anger and frustration and encouraged them with visions of a grand and practical response to the plight of their people.

He said that he was lucky. His "free fall" as he termed it was stopped by the YMCA and its programs of leadership development. These programs provided leaders that also reached out and listened to youth, and encouraged them to develop skills as leaders in positive programs that benefited their communities.

The Interfaith Youth Core seeks to amplify these efforts of the "Y". The home page of the IFYC website (www.ifyc.org) states the "Core's" purpose, the "Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) builds mutual respect and pluralism among young people from different religious traditions by empowering them to work together to serve others."


I know, this has seemed like a book report. Sorry about that. But, I love the book. It's disturbing, challenging and inspiring. Most of all, it's exciting. Eboo Patel is coming to speak at Syracuse University on March 27-28! He'll be speaking to a group of high school and undergraduate college students on Thursday afternoon the 27th. He'll offer a public, free lecture at Hendricks Chapel on the SU campus that evening at 7:30. The next morning he'll be speaking with a group of community leaders to strategize what how we might follow up on implementing his program in the Syracuse area. I've had the honor of serving on the planning committee for this latter meeting.

So, come to Eboo Patel's lecture on March 27, at Hendricks Chapel, read his book Acts of Faith, or go to his website. Of course doing any or all of these things won't provide instant results, and they won't ease the pain of those that are victims of violence (including those duped into committing it). But, it's good to look for sources of hope -- study and learn from them, embrace and seek to live them. After all, sometimes hope is all we have. And many times hope is enough!

I pray for the hope that is enough and the peace that is beyond understanding.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

A Shoot from the Stump of Jesse, Part One

Again, it's happened again...another shooting on another campus...this time in northern Illinois! Kathy Lawes, Acting Association Minister for the Prairie Association, Illinois Conference UCC, sent out an email in the aftermath of the shooting at Northern Illinois University. She writes,

"'We Grieve Together.' These are the words on the signboard in
front of First Congregational UCC, DeKalb.

The ongoing shock is palpable in the community. The sense of security that we have enjoyed and even taken for granted has been shattered. Yesterday afternoon, as four news helicopters hovered over the NIU campus, other helicopters were transporting several of the injured students from our local hospital to hospitals that could better handle the particular injuries suffered. The air was thick with helicopters, fear and uncertainty; for a while it did indeed feel like DeKalb was under siege.

Local faith communities stepped forward quickly to assist students, faculty and parishioners sort through their own disbelief and horror. Candlelight vigils, prayer services, and community-wide gatherings of worship and remembrance have drawn people together in the face of tragedy. Dawn Jones, campus minister at NIU and In-Care with Prairie Association, was present on campus Thursday and through much of the night, and continues to offer comfort and care to many. Six large white croses, draped with purple sashes, stand in front of the Lutheran Campus Ministry building in the center of campus, and the site of our United Campus Ministry outreach.

Disturbingly, a flier is being distributed to alert the community that the Westboro Baptist Church intends to send protesters to picket the vigils and the funeral and memorial services of those killed by gunfire yesterday. Rev. Judy Harris of our DeKalb church is coordinating efforts for a peaceful presence at these services to counteract the hate represented by the picketers.

By contrast, an Iraqi graduate student at Northern, stranded at the local Jewel when the NIU cuses were shut down following the shooting, telephoned a member of our DeKalb church for a ride home. The student's first response to the tragedy was, 'Where do I go to give blood?'

In this time of tragedy, John's words are particularly poignant and comforting: 'The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.' It is the light of God's love, who surely weeps with us; it is the light of Christ's resurrection, the miracle of love that followed senseless violence; it is the light of the Holy Spirit reflected in the hearts of those who grieve, who seek not retribution, who work for healing among shattered people.

Your prayers are real to us. Thank you."

As faithful as these words are, that they had to be written is very disturbing. They speak of yet another person, another young person, undebatably troubled, that decided to take out his troubles with unspeakable violence against others and himself. Weekly, if not daily we read in the paper of those that are considering violence against others as their first option.

Often these people are young, at least under the age of forty. This is not always the case, yet it seems to be happening often enough that we can at least acknowledge a disturbing trend.

And it's not just the urban gangs of minority youth that kill each other to gain "cred" or to protect their turf. Neither is it only the kids who immerse themselves in violent computer games.

We read of the mother that purportedly put her infant into a microwave and turned it on. We read of the former Bible College student that turned his gun on former teachers and even upon worshipers at a nearby church.

And, we read of this young man in northern Illinois that seemed to be successful, gregarious, a good student, from a good family, and yet, now a murderer (and, of course, dead himself).

And so, we grieve. We become disturbed ourselves. We upgrade our security systems and disaster response efforts. We prepare our churches to become centers of prayer and healing in the eventuality that such horror might happen in our towns.

Bill Green, a member of the UCC national staff in Cleveland, wrote of another approach in today's meditation in the online UCC StillSpeaking Lenten Devotional. In reflecting on God's call to Abraham to go to the land that God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3) Bill wrote,

"We have come to associate faith with self-confidence and a good sense of direction, as though it were a prayer-mounted GPS. Instead, it's a way to go amid uncertainty and self-doubt when our direction is unclear and apprehension can run high, as with Abram. God can't steer a parked car. Moving ahead in faith doesn't mean having a map and knowing the way. It means getting unstuck. Once we start moving, sometimes simply going out on our best hunch, we will be shown where we're meant to go and how to be a blessing, to others and ourselves, too."

Faith means getting unstuck. Indeed! And what this says to me is that, if we are stuck in an increasing spiral of violence, faithful people can (must!), with God's help, find a better way to address the needs of our society than merely waiting for horror to happen before we begin working and praying.

In part 2 of this blog I want to talk of how one young man, Eboo Patel, an American Muslim, is attempting to do just this.

In the meantime we can pray with the psalmist (Ps. 122:6) for the peace of Jerusalem...and Nairobi...and Moghadishu...and Baghdad...and DeKalb...and...

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

Ecclesia Ministries of Newburgh

I've mentioned the ministry of pastor Steve Ruelke and his work with Ecclesia Ministries, a new church start to the homeless population in Newburgh, NY. Steve sent an update of the ministry on Ash Wednesday. With his permission I am glad to share it with you.

Greetings!

A joyous Ash Wednesday to you . . if Ash Wednesdays are supposed to be joyous?! If not, then joy to you anyway!

A quick update from this end of the world where we keep putting off a more formal communique.

We're about to get our building permit for the Ann Street project which means we can begin work . . .which we've already done - the third floor demolition is just about done - plaster, lath, trim, some sheet rock . . down and out by Saturday thanks to volunteers Ruth Ruelke, Wayne Birch, Kevin Fitzpatrick, John Wenz who've joined me in logging 45 hours of this very therapeutic work. We've bundled lath, shoveled plaster into five-gallon buckets and carted about three tons of stuff to the dump thanks to George Kenna, his assistant Margarito and their trusty pickup . . . By the end of the day on Saturday, we'll be done with that floor . . . only three more to go . . . So it's not too late to get in on the fun - we've got tyvek coveralls, respirators, gloves, goggles waiting for you. We figure we've got about $140,000 earmarked for the project, about half of what's needed if we contract out all the work, so volunteers - and dough - are crucial . . . Oh! And get this - we've asked NYSERDA (NYS Energy Research and Development Agency) to foot the bill for technical assistance so we can make the building - Ecclesia House is the latest name - as energy efficient as possible . . maybe even solar hot water . . . perhaps the first homeless joint in the state to do such stuff . . .

God's grace flows like a veritable river, i tell ya.

Safe Haven has been a huge success since we opened Nov. 1. the 3 pm to 9 pm 7-day operation has taken on a life of its own. We host 20 to 30 guests each day giving a hand to folks who need to navigate the social services world or connect with detox or find family or get medical attention or simple engage in caring conversation. Thanks to our friends at Holy Cross Monastery, we've got a home movie theater set up and show movies on the big screen each Monday [english] and Thursday [spanish] . . . building community, making a difference. . . . When the center closes, it has been doubling as a place where a homeless woman spends the night and last night we hosted a dispossessed mom and her two-year-old who had no place to go. . .

thanks to the financial support of the Cadet Chapel at West Point, we've been able to cover the cost of prescription drugs for a couple of our friends, and we've been able to move one of the Pats from 91 Ann Street [where living conditions have been less than okay for several years] to the Cornerstone Residence just up the street where she has a brand new studio apartment in a place with 24-hour security, a library and support services . . . We'll be doing more stuff with the cadets and other parishioners in the coming months ranging from work crews to outreach . . . How did West Point get involved? I got a call from Maj. Timothy Mallard, senior protestant chaplain, who had somehow heard about us and our work . . . So far, the Chapel has done two dedicated offerings totaling around $5,500 . . . Grace is the only explanation that works for me. . . Amazing.

Speaking of Amazing . . . there's the story of Donnell who we met two or three years ago. . . he spent most of that time either on the street or in jail before getting into a VA rehab and completely changing his life. He had lost everything, including his wife who divorced him about ten years ago . . . the miracle is that this past September, Donnell and Cheryl were remarried on their anniversary here at the house in what has become our meditation garden/barbeque pit/wedding chapel . . . we'll tell you more if we ever get around to doing a newsletter . . .

Then there's the story of Ruth's magic flute and a woman named Sugar who'd been tricking and drugging here in the Burgh for 25 years . . . and how she's been clean and sober for five months and now goes by her real name - Marguerite . . .an incredible witness to courage, determination . . and amazing grace . . .

There's more, of course, and we'll share it with you somehow . . . perhaps, because you will come and see what is happening here . . . .

May the grace of the One who has created all, the One in whom we all live and move and have our being, bless you abundantly.

Steve concluded his email with this observation. "Let me get this straight - We worship a homeless man on Sunday and turn our backs on him on Monday. . . . What's that about?"

Please keep Ecclesia Ministries in your prayers. To learn more about their work go to their website http://www.ecclesia-newburgh.org/.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

In the Wilderness of Sin

In the Wilderness of Sin the Israelites complained to Moses.

"We're running out of food. We don't seem to be getting anywhere. We miss Egypt. Even captivity that is known is better than this freedom that is
frighteningly foreign, unknown, untrustworthy. It seems like we've passed that
rock before. I'm sure we walked by that dried up wadi last week. What's the plan
Moses? Where are you taking us? God is the leader you say? Well, then, where is
God leading us? We just want to know."

The wilderness area named "Sin" has nothing to do with the spiritual acts or inclinations that we call sin. Scholars don't even know where it is exactly. It is supposed to be near Mt. Sinai. The problem is that there is no definitive certainty about which mountain in the Sinai delta is the one where God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. It could be the one at the southern tip of the delta (Jebel Musa), or it could be in the Arabah (the above photo) near the ruins of Petra in Jordan. Jebel Musa, the traditional location of Sinai, is still the front runner. But who knows?

For many it's important that we know where such places are located. I must admit that I have tended to be one of these. I love studying maps. I like to see relationships between this place and that. How many miles apart are they? How does one get from there to here? How long will it take? I'm kind of like that with people, too. How tall are they? How old are they?

I need to know such things generally. But I tend to care less about such things spiritually. When I toured the Holy Land in 1979 I found it inspiring to see the same landscape, walk through some of the same terrain as those about whom we read in the Bible. Yet, I also realized that it didn't really matter to me if one of the caves we visited outside of Bethlehem was the actual one in which Jesus was born. It didn't matter whether the ruins of the house that the tour books said what that of the apostle Peter in Capernaum was actually his house. And, even if the Church of the Holy Sepulchre probably was built over the location of the tomb where Jesus was laid after the Crucifixion, the so-called Garden Tomb seemed so much more authentic.

And so, to me the Wilderness of Sin is more than a place on a map (whereever it is). The wilderness of sin is a spiritual place where increasing numbers of people wander, looking for sustenance, meaning, direction and life. So many of the people with whom I meet in our churches are there.

• There's the minister that wonders why life in the pastorate is so difficult. Why is it that she is doing all the right things, all the things they taught her in seminary, yet the people aren't responding.


• There's the church leader that is trying to deal with congregational conflict between the pastor an another church leader. And, he wonders about the ramifications for the entire congregation if this conflict is resolved.


• There's the ministerial candidate in another denomination that has been turned down by the denominations committee on ministry in the last stages of her preparation and came to talk about her options in the UCC. If they didn't want her why didn't they tell her earlier in the process?


• And there's the congregation that is trying to survive. How many more bake sales can we do? Maybe we should try to develop a mission statement and set goals. But, do we have enough people with the energy to follow through.

In the Wilderness of Sin there are many people that are conflicted, that don't know where to turn. The old ways should work, but they just aren't anymore. The new ways are foreign to us and we don't know if we want to try them. We'd rather sink in the familiar old dingy than venture out in the new, state of the art kayak.

Today the lectionary calls for reading the story of Jesus' own wilderness wanderings. His were in the Wilderness of Judea rather than the Wilderness of Sin. We know the story of how he fasted and prayed for 40 days and how he was tempted by the devil.

Sometimes I wonder if his temptations were real. After all, if he were truly human, wouldn't he have given in, even a little? Ah, but I project...

Jesus' temptations were real enough, I suppose. He had to work to confront and overcome his spiritual pride, his great knowledge of the scriptures and faith, his assurance that he was God's anointed Messiah. This was truly heady business.

He had to confront and overcome his ambition. There is always the tendency to put oneself ahead of others, especially when one is so talented, wise and smart. And so, he was tempted to give into his ambition to have everyone come over to his way of thinking and believing, by powerful preaching or by miracles or by the force of god's angelic legions, if necessary. This was a great deal to overcome.

And he had to confront and overcome his fear. For in humbling himself and in giving himself obediently over to God's purpose, he would have to undergo the pain of loneliness, rejection, torture and death. Scary stuff, indeed!

How did he do it? Well, I think he never lost sight of the landmarks. In the wilderness our eyes play tricks on us. One way looks just like another. It's easy to get lost. It's easy to give in and give up. But if we can somehow keep hold of certain landmarks -- praying constantly; reading, seeking to rightly understand and recall the scriptures; worshipping regularly (individually and corporately); growing in fellowship with other people of faith (the worst thing is to try to "go it alone") -- the way home becomes clearer.

In today's Lenten Devotional from the Still Speaking Initiative of the national UCC local church pastor Lillian Daniel wrote about the difference between perplexity and temptation. "

There are two situations that lead to doing the wrong thing. The first is
perplexity, when we truly do not know which is the right course to take. The
second situation is temptation. We're simply tempted by something we want so
much that we are willing to do the wrong thing to get it. We human beings
don't want to admit that we are in that second category of mere temptation. So
what do we do? We mistake temptation for perplexity. We say we had no idea what to do, or what we were doing, when really we were just tempted."

God can help us with our confusion in the midst of complexity whenever we are sincerely willing to give our hearts and minds over to God's Spirit in prayer. God can also help us to work through our temptation especially as we can honestly look at our own motives, needs, fears and goals. We can pray to God, "lead us not into temptation," but Lillian Daniel is right in saying that we need to recognize when we are saying it's God's will when it's really our own will that we are doing.

In the wilderness the best thing to do is pray. Today's Centering Prayer from the UCC Calendar of Prayer helps me. Maybe it'll help you, too.

"God of mercy, your word was the sure defense of Jesus in his time of
testing. Minister to us in the wilderness of our temptation, that we who
have been set free from sin by Christ may serve you well into life
everlasting. Amen."

Blessings,

Rick Cowles

P.S. You can subscribe for the Stillspeaking Daily Lenten Devotional (delivered via email) by clicking on this link: http://www.uccvitality.org/devotional/subscribe-to-a-stillspeaking-lenten-devotional-for-2008.html

When the Party's Over, Study and Pray

What a super Tuesday! Or so they say. Politics is in the air with Presidential primaries across the nation. It's the birthday of sports superstars Hank Aaron and Roger Staubach, actress Laura Linney and my mother-in-law Evelyn. And, it's Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.


In New Orleans and other places Shrove Tuesday is the time for Mardi Gras, for frivolity and parties of all kinds. When I served in the German Reformed area of the United Church of Christ in Pennsylvania, I learned of "Fastnachts" (literally, fast's eve). Before the Lenten fast the good German Reformed folks fried and ate donuts.

The pastoral messages in many of the church newsletters that I receive are reintroducing the themes, origins, challenge and promise of Lent. Jim Ziobro, pastor of the Homer Congregational Church began his message this way.

"The season of Lent invites us to make a frozen season fruitful --
spiritually fruitful. Though the garden beds remain stone-cold outdoors, we
can turn over the fallow, untilled holy ground within, and grow. We
can grow in awareness of the presence of Jesus, in the presence of the living
Word of God and the promise of Divine love at work in life. Our awarenenss
need not require endless backbreaking labor, but may flourish with a few moments of daily attention."

Ginny Anderson, pastor of Friedens UCC, Syracuse, pointed to the example of Jesus. She writes,

"All through the life of Jesus we see Him taking time to go off alone to
pray and just to be. If He needed this restoration time, why do we think we can
live quality lives with it?"

And, so, when the partying is over and the donuts are consumed, when Ash Wednesday comes tomorrow, it's time to study and pray.

Of course, many of our churches are offering special Lenten studies in addition to extra services of worship. Some churches are using spiritual growth resources as the basis of their Lenten study.

• Homer will be studying Henri Nouwen's book, Life of the Beloved.
• At Emmanuel, Watertown Ron and Patti Farr will be leading a self-written discussion, "Hearing God's Call: Discerning our God-Given Purposes."

Many churches are having special studies of the Bible throughout Lent.

• Steve Johnson, co-pastor of the Maine Federated Church, will be presenting a self-written Bible study, "War and Peace in the Bible."
• In Sherburne pastor Kelly Shifflet will be leading a study of Genesis.
• Mark Lawson is offering a course to the members of UCC Bayberry in how to read the Bible.
• Pastor Bonnie Bates reports from Madrid that the congregation will gather for soup, worship, Bible study and craft during their Tuesday evening Lenten Soup and Learn programs.
• At North Congregational, Middletown the midweek Lenten Services conclude with "God Talk" gatherings.
• Faith United, Oswego will be studying the Lord's Prayer.
• The women at First Congregational UCC in Malone will engage in a "Faith-Full" study group centered on the story of Mary and Martha.

A couple of churches are offering courses for leadership development, personal health and church growth.

• The Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church, Saratoga Springs a series of seminars for women (Body and Soul), for men (How are you feeling?) and for those that are hearing impaired (How's your hearing?).
• The United Church of Roscoe will be offering a series of Teacher Workshops and participating in the training for Disaster Reserve Volunteers by the American Red Cross in Greater New York.
• At First Congregational, Albany pastor Randy Hammer will lead a discussion of Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass during their Thursday evening Lenten supper, worship and study programs.

Other churches are participating in cooperative Lenten series.

• Trinity UCC, Union Springs joins with six other churches in the so-called Southern Cayuga Wider Parish in a series of seminars on forgiveness, salvation/sanctification, creation, prayer and repentance.
• Groton City and Mclean and Groton Community churches are joining together in a Lenten Bible study led by Groton City pastor Chris Xenakis.

Other churches are holding Lenten retreats. Danby Federated will be conducting a men's retreat. The Homer youth group will hold a retreat in the church building from Maundy Thursday through Easter.

The wider UCC also is offering resources and events for spiritual inspiration throughout Lent. The national UCC is offering an online Lenten devotional guide. Click on this link to subscribe. http://www.uccvitality.org/devotional/subscribe-to-a-stillspeaking-lenten-devotional-for-2008.html. And, of course, the annual New York Conference State Youth Event is coming up on March 7-9. Go to the www.uccny.org to register.

Finally, church newsletters and websites themselves often are wonderful resources of inspiration and spiritual growth. Tom O'Donnell, pastor of Plymouth-Bethesda, Utica, has launched a campaign to recapture the theological discourse in this country for progressive Christians through his website www.ReclaimJesus.net. In this month's newsletter he challenged the congregation to take Jesus' words seriously, "Do not judge and you will not be judged." (Matthew 7:1) He wrote,

"When the gospel tells us over and over again that, in Christ, there are no
longer any 'pure' and 'impure,' 'clean' and 'unclean,' 'insiders' and
'outsiders;' that, in Christ there are no males and females Greeks and
non-Greeks, freemen and slaves; that in Christ we are all one: this year, let's
not just say it. Lets mean it."

Amen.

Blessings,

Rick Cowles