Faith Community Moments

A Gathering of Souls

The World Social Forum has recently been in the news, as has the World Economic Summit. Two international meetings possessed of developmental agendas, these organizations start from very different points as the central basis from which the global community should move forward. Those attending the World Economic Summit see capital as a means of strengthening countries' interactions with one another, while the World Social Forum advocates focusing on human beings as connection points. The Forum's 2002 leadership, meeting in Florence, Italy, stated their intent to be, "an open meeting space designed for in-depth refection, democratic debate of ideas, formulation of proposals, free exchange of experiences, and planning of effective action among entities and movements of civil society that are engaged in building a planetary society to this end."

Having only recently heard of the World Social Forum meetings, held annually since 2001, I am intrigued by the concept that a fair number of people believe that money does not make the world go around. Even more fascinating is that they get together to talk about their commitment to people being some of the world's finest resources, and therefore, worth consideration.

My mind then wandered on to the vision of what a world faith forum might look like, how it could feel simply to come together to talk about how we believe,and why we believe.

What popped into my mind first is what would not, could not be present at these meetings: commerce. No tables selling music, literature, Christmas ornaments or angel lapel pins. While these products can be valuable tools of the faith experience, and while shopping has become an acceptable hobby within our privileged United States culture, buying things, being about things, is also an easy distraction from being, and from interacting with one another. I remember attending retreats and conferences that were so far out in the woods that we couldn't find our way out, let alone walk the distance in the middle of winter to wherever the nearest mall may be located. Wildly inconceivable a concept though it may be, we don't have to spend money every single day of our lives. Really, we don't.

We also can live a few days without televisions, movies, video games, ipods and cell phones. Each of these electronic miracles have served humanity well, and deserve their own break now and again for their faithful service. I know that letting go of cell phones in particular creates great anguish ("What if my children need to reach me?"), but cell phones haven't been around all that long, and somehow a lot of us have still reached adulthood with minimal scarring. If participants in a faith forum can't turn off their phones for a few days, believing that nothing separates us from God's love, they may be advised to stay home where God is waiting to encourage their faith development in more concrete ways.

My vision of a faith forum would be rather straight forward and to the point: we would talk to each other about what we believe. Conversations would be shared among Christians, those of the Islamic and Jewish faiths, as well as Buddhists, Hindus, and anyone else interested in listening to the beliefs others hold, more than judging the inadequacies of religious systems unlike their own. Having spent the day investing in understanding one another, the Christians among the group might be able to offer the wisdom of our common vision of God With Us as expressed by the Apostle Paul: "Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through things he has made (Romans 1:20)." Having spent the day welcoming the mysterious ways of God's presence among all of us, we may each come to a broader, perhaps even deeper way of seeking to embody and manifest God as seen through we whom God has made.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 4:01 PM 0 comments

Sanctuary

Land is at a premium. Even Oprah is buying up property because, as she says, "God isn't making anymore." At the beginning of our nation's history, land ownership was one of the determining factors of whether or not you could vote in general elections. Not incidentally, the Western European concept of being able to lay claim to portions of the earth as one's own, completely contradictory to indigenous North American people's belief that the earth was a gift to all that could not be owned, got the United States government into many pointless wars with its own people. Land is a personal issue, a community issue, and has been for much longer than any of us can remember or research. Not surprisingly, the Bible speaks of land as promised, as flowing with milk and honey, as paradise itself.

While part of the Wisconsin paradise was reclaimed this past week, another part of the land that appeared to be promised to a congregation in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, is about to be snatched away as evidence of a new belief that projected consumerism and its societal benefits is reason enough to usurp private property in the name of eminent domain.

The Ridges, a wildlife refuge on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula, successfully negotiated for two years to reclaim a section of adjacent land to be able to expand its unique state natural area. In a quote from the Door County Advocate, "The land is vital to us," said Paul Sagen, a member of The Ridges board of directors and head of its research committee. " The parcel is in our immediate watershed area, and is critically important to the protection of The Ridges ecosystem. Protecting it is a big step toward maintaining the high water quality we enjoy in our wetlands." Guarding what God has given them in natural beauty and resources, the people of this Northeastern Wisconsin county have also preserved a natural sanctuary, a place that evokes a peaceful and creative spirit with which generations to come will also commune.

Meanwhile, a different sort of scenario is playing itself out in the shadow of a recent, highly unpopular United States Supreme Court ruling. In a New York Times interview, the Rev. Roosevelt Gildon, pastor of the Centennial Baptist Church of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, noted that, "The Lord didn't send me here to build a mini-mall." City officials beg to differ. Sand Springs is moving ahead with a redevelopment plan to make way for The Home depot and other retail stores. Tax revenue is needed for city services, and the mayor and many others see this as the way to achieve their goal. This past summer's Supreme Court ruling approved condemnation of private property in New London, Connecticut, for resale to other private interests for what the Court called, "public purpose," supports Sand Springs in its endeavors toward progress. Pastor Gildon's church is smack in the middle of the future shopping area, so his congregation's options are limited: sell their land at an amount that will not be sufficient to relocate, or be forced off by virtue of eminent domain.

My questions are simple: How many shopping malls do we really need? How many more opportunities will we have to preserve the earth's gift to nurture and support us as God intended at creation? How much stuff do we really need, balanced against the desire to live on land in which beauty and grace still reside? Why does our government still not understand that stealing land from its own people is wrong?

My understanding of these question, and their answers, rests on part of a song from Moses and the Israelites to God: "You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession, the place, O Lord, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established (Exodus 14:17)." The earth has been given to us, both as a richly beautiful home, and as a sanctuary, a place for worship of the Giver. These two concepts cannot be separated or uprooted from our faithful use of the land. Simply put, we are each as a generation only holding this land in trust for the next, and as an historical people, we are only renting. How much do we want to jeopardize our security deposit?

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 10:32 AM 0 comments

God's Voice

Pat Robertson, 700 Club host, and Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans, publicly shared their faith perspectives in the past few days in succinct statements regarding recent foreign and domestic events. Robertson felt compelled to express his belief that Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, had been struck by God with a massive stroke because he is carving up the State of Israel in a way that is displeasing to God (Mr. Sharon is still healing and is unavailable for comment). Nagin is very clear that God is angry with America for a variety of reasons, including our involvement in the Iraq War, which is by we were plummeted with multiple, fierce hurricanes this past season.

While God has indeed chosen prophetic voices throughout history to speak what is frequently unpopular and uncomfortable, and God has also used personal and natural events to get our attention and realign our purposes with Divine intent, I am unsure as to whether God is communicating to us what Robertson and Nagin believe God is communicating to them. Very clearly, listening to God, and speaking on God's behalf, requires discernment and faith.

Considering both men's comments, I wonder why they believe God has such a mindset as to damage and wound the very creation that came to be by God's own hand. Why would a parent want to debilitate their own child in the name of national boundaries? Why would an architect, landscaper, painter, sculptor or writer choose to destroy their own works out of anger or frustration, taking along with the mangled debris the hopes and lives of those using their creations? That perspective of God makes no sense to me, although it seems quite common among most people in our country. Romans 8 speaks of God being for us when everything and everybody else is against us, but somehow the communal belief persists that God is usually angry, agitated, or at the very least, miffed with us to the point of needing to make us miserable. When everyday moments irritate us, we assume God has it in for us because we didn't do what we were supposed to, whether or not we can define what "supposed to " entails. Missed parking spaces, lost promotions, ill-fated romances, and weight gain, all get blamed on God because we feel guilty, whether we are or not. So many of us assume that what we would do to someone or something based on our own feelings is what God would do too. Punishing ourselves for poor choices we've made around busy shopping times at the mall, work opportunities, relational options, and lifestyle choices, has nothing to do with God.

In fact, these are indications that we have disconnected from God. It becomes more difficult to believe the words from Genesis, that,"God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good (Genesis 1:31)." God's creation includes us, and although none of us is perfect, we are each loved, and continuing to believe that God has a need to shame, wound, and outright destroy us to make us more obedient or faithful is counterproductive to God's loving purpose. Sooner, hopefully rather than later, we as people of faith will need to draw on our God-given creativity and realize that there are more faithful ways to understand God's activity in the world than as one big game of tag in which we are maimed or dead at God's whimsy.

"By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against such things(Gelatins 5:22)." Believing that God's loving Spirit is still alive, well, and moving among us, I hear instead the voice of God speaking through the peaceful exchange of power in Israel as Mr. Sharon now recovers from his illness. Two of his protégées are working together for the good of their country, as opposed to their own political ambitions. Even through New Orleans struggles to clean and bind its wounds, the media has made strong efforts to keep us updated on its progress, and remind us of the needs of our fellow citizens. Stories of volunteers going to offer assistance in any way needed, and others of people continuing to send material aid, resonate as God's kind, generous, gentle, faithful Spirit.

God's voice is not always leveled at us in rage, but often arrives as a meaningful exchange between Creator and created. Sometimes it is all about being aware of our perspective, and listening for what we need to hear, not what we fear most.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 3:31 PM 0 comments

Signs and Superstitions

Today is Friday the thirteenth, one of those days people joke about, and then hop out of the way of the lightening bolt they assume will strike. It is a day to walk around teetering ladders, adjust poorly-hung mirrors, wait to pet stray black cats, and stay away from anything else connected to superstitious feat and consequence. While most people will tell you they don't believe in these and other bits of residual medieval wisdom, there are a lot more people who will use them as insurance measures, behaviors to avoid or embrace, "just in case." Broken mirrors may not welcome bad luck into our lives, but someone has to clean up the mess, so avoiding that situation can only be a good thing, right? I suspect there is a connection between these superstition watches and the deeply felt human need to pay attention for signs as a way to discern how our lives are going, and how much God is paying attention to us. We are a people who crave concrete, immediate feedback before we are willing to move onto the next step.

Jesus appears to have understood human nature quite well in this regard. As much pressure as his followers, and especially his disciples, placed on him to predict the future and describe the details of the Messiah's reign in militaristic terms, Jesus gently, but firmly, diverted his listeners to consider their faith in common images and everyday occurrences. While desperately seeking answers to how long they would continue to suffer under Roman rule, Jesus offered them the avenue by which to understand, to believe, and to embody the kingdom that would overthrow their oppressors. Even as these ancient people were looking for signs of the kingdom, they were being given the kingdom itself.

Jesus taught his followers to understand that the kingdom of God was a pearl, a hidden treasure, each so valuable their presence would be kept secret until the discoverers could sell everything they owned to make the purchase. Jesus encouraged them to believe that the kingdom of God was a mustard seed that would grow so large it would house a community of God's creatures, and yeast that expanded a pile of dough to become a fragrant, crusty loaf of bread. Jesus showed them that to embody the kingdom of God they must hold onto their strength by being salt, by reflecting the light that God was shining into their lives through Jesus' ministry.

Being no different than you or I, these people of ancient Israel stumbled over these ideas, perplexed by the benign quality of Jesus' illustrations. How can something as glorious as God's kingdom be displayed in salt, yeast, or a huge, weedy plant? How can anyone recognize the kingdom of God so clearly as to give up everything to purchase it? How do we live our lives once we have only God's kingdom to show for it? These are our life questions too.

While looking for God's grand gestures in psychic visions and mercurial revelations, God's hand is at work, rebuilding the ravaged countries of Indonesia, Pakistan, Guatemala, and the Gulf Coast of the United States. Understand that God's kingdom is found in communities of people in which it is worthwhile to invest. Know that as we strain to force God's timing, the rhythm of creation is healing attitudes and teaching us the meaning of the cycle of life, death and resurrection. Believe that the kingdom of God is ever-present, ongoing, continuous. See what comes of fearful action and consequence, but do not become a victim of what you feel is out of your control. Embody the kingdom of God in your thoughts, words, deeds, and your faith.

We like to believe, as did our spiritual ancestors, that signs will point the way for us, so we will know where to head next. Jesus knew parables would not give answers, but would evoke discussion, and encourage a growing reliance on faith. We can continue to deny the relationship between everyday living and the extraordinary grace of God's presence among us by darting about after every flicker of false hope that catches our eye. If we continue that pattern we surely will miss the opportunity to understand, believe, and embody the light of faith that already is the kingdom of God within us. And, indeed, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)."

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 11:09 AM 0 comments

Jill Carroll

As of this writing, reporter Jill Carroll, kidnapped Saturday morning in Baghdad, is still missing.

There is no word on her whereabouts. No one has claimed responsibility for her abduction, or the murder of her translator, who was found in the same neighborhood from which she disappeared. Although shot twice in the head, he lived long enough to tell authorities that Carroll was to interview Adham al-Duraimi, a leading Arab Sunni politician at ten that morning. After a twenty-five minute wait, they were informed al-Duraimi was not in his office. The ambush occurred three hundred yards from the building in which al-Duraimi's office is located. Carroll's driver, pushed from the car before he could put the vehicle into neutral, believes the attack was orchestrated because it took less than a quarter minute to accomplish. Carroll, with people crushed in around her in the back seat, was sped away. Despite the escalating violence in an unstable country, and that this latest kidnapping of a Westerner occurred in one of Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhoods, the fact remains that each person killed or injured or kidnapped as a result of United States or Iraqi political agendas, is an individual, someone with friends, family, and a God who loves them.

Jill Carroll is no exception.

When Carroll was laid off from her job as a reporting assistant for The Wall Street Journal several years ago, she decided to pursue her dream. "All I ever wanted to be was a foreign correspondent," she wrote in the February/March 2005 edition of the American Journalism Review. "It seemed the right time to try to make it happen." Jill moved to Jordan six months prior to the beginning of the Iraqi War to learn as much as possible before the fighting began. A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, she had been working as a journalist for three years, and at the time of her abduction was reporting for The Christian Science Monitor. She has also posted stories with other U.S. publications and an Italian wire service, and has been interviewed by National Public Radio. Carroll was an aggressive reporter, but was careful, Monitory Managing editor Marshall Ingwerson said. "She's a very professional, straight-up, fact-oriented reporter." Ingwerson said. Richard Bergenheim, also of The Monitor, is quoted as saying,"Jill's ability to help others understand the issues facing all groups in Iraq has been invaluable." Her sister, Kathryn, would agree, having hosted a blog keeping friends and family aware of Jill's work since being in the Middle East. The blog has been pulled since Jill's abduction.

Knowing the risks doesn't always prevent the worst from happening. Jill Carroll had choices in her life, she made them to the best of her ability, and has become a victim of the war she has been clarifying for us here in the United States. What Jill saw was an opportunity to understand this international tragedy from the perspective of the Iraqi people, these victims who had no choice but to try to hone their survival instincts in a home lost to terrorism. There is grace in what Jill Carroll's life choices have meant to the Iraqi people as she has told their stories. We pray tonight for her safe return so that we may continue to be blessed by her gifts and her courage.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 4:39 PM 0 comments

When Do You Pray?

When do you pray?

Prayer is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, the communication factor with God that opens us to grace, hope and the very love of God that transforms our lives.

So, when do you pray? Think about that for a moment. Think about when you pray before you start reciting the endless list in your head about why you don't have the time to pray that you think you should, would or could, if only. Take a deep breath, and ponder this for a moment.

Did you pray at church this week? Did you say grace with your meals today, spoken or unspoken? Did you make a green light, thereby getting to work in plenty of time, and say, “Thank you, God”? Did you admire the clouds in the sky while running an errand before you picked your kids up from school? Prayer happens throughout your day, in ways that are obvious, and many that are not so apparent.

A prayer for God's help and guidance nudged between two thoughts about when to pay bills and still produce what is required at work, or a bit of extra patience listening to a friend, can both be strong prayers in simple, profound ways.

Our hopes and dreams are also prayers. Albeit not always spoken, our thoughts convey our desires to God and are as viable as the prayers in which we share at each Sunday worship service. Hebrews 11:1 states: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In our hopes, we communicate our faith in God, to God.

Prayer communicates to God all that we want to share with God. Praise, adoration, gratitude, hope, fear, trust, petitions, anything we want to share with God, and particularly those things we may not be able to share with anyone else are there for the giving. God listens, and God hears.

Take a moment, a pen and a piece of paper, and jot down when you prayed today, and what you prayed about and for. No judgments, just a consideration of your communication with God today.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 10:17 AM 0 comments

The Mutuality of the Gospel

The CBS Evening News ran a regular segment years ago called "On The Road With Charles Kuralt." The late Mr. Kuralt and his motor coach traveled back and forth across the United States, gathering newsworthy human interest stories, and tremendous respect for Kuralt, who always treated the subjects of his stories like national treasures he had been privileged to spend time with, if only for a moment in time. He connected with these people, from brick makers to homemakers, as if they were long-lost relatives welcoming him back to the family after far too long an absence. As it turned out, they were national treasures, and so was Kuralt. You see, Mr. Kuralt learned an important lesson bumping his way across the highway, in that when we are away from home we must trust others to provide the resources of home for us.

I am sure that Jesus and Charles Kuralt could have shared a few conversations about the kindness of strangers in their travels. Although Jesus' travels didn't extend across the vastness of the North American continent, he did travel on foot, according to Luke's gospel, "through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward, Choza; and Susanna; and many others, who provided for them out of their resources (Luke 8:1-3)."

Has it ever crossed your mind, in practical, day to day terms, how Jesus managed these preaching assignments and public speaking events that left him no time to create a paid living for himself? Jesus' culture, although not as reliant on cold, hard cash as ours, still required people to provide physically for themselves and their families, maintain their homes and pay their taxes. Being on the road on a regular basis, Jesus was still responsible for caring for himself and paying his taxes, which does deserve some awareness on our part as to how he made that work.

Luke's words are an indication that Jesus' followers were well aware that in giving to them in his work, Jesus also needed the resources they had to offer back to him. We can assume that these tangible resources included food, shelter, clothing, and money if necessary. The less tangible were most likely also evident. Hospitality, the peace of a settled home at the end of a long, hard day, the warm rhythm of family life that surely reminded Jesus of his own brothers and sisters and their families at home in Nazareth. These are the true treasures of home that people we meet while traveling can grant us without even knowing the blessing they have bestowed. Each of these people Jesus met on his journeys clearly felt stirred by his presence with them, but Jesus also received the grace of kindness which strengthened him on the difficult days, and lightened his spirit on the easier ones.

We have opportunities to give and receive these "traveling graces" today too. Have you ever relocated to a new neighborhood, city, state or country? I have, more than once. Having given and received this kindness as a new pastor, and as someone welcoming a new pastor to my home congregation, I thank God for my friend and her family, two houses down, who has helped me in more ways than she knows. Because of her I know how to get to the mall by the back route, my cats are cared for with loving attention when I go on vacation and I have a place to go when I just need a place to be myself. She is a blessing in so many ways I cannot even name them. Modern day pastors in particular share these bonds of travelers kindnesses. Freed by congregational support to minister full time, we bring along families with whom we must protect and nurture the boundaries of a home left behind, and open ourselves to the resources of the kindness of strangers each time we begin a new ministry. Fresh starts are tantalizing, but not when you need a haircut, and are not sure whom to trust, or when your cat falls ill, and your vet is three hundred miles away. These are the times when a new travel companion's worth cannot be measured in anything even as wonderfully tangible as a good haircut and a healthy, happy cat. Blessings from God, given and received, are package deals. They bless the giver and the receiver.

Until next time, God's blessings.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 3:57 PM 0 comments