Church

Deep breath….

It is Holy Week. For my minister friends and I this is our second-most-busy time of the year. Christmas being the first. The funny thing is that tonite I had nothing on. Not a single meeting or practice or anything to be done for the church. I am spending tonite taking a deep breath, because the rest of the week there won’t be time to breathe.

That is the way church goes – it’s kind of feast or famine. You’re either insanely busy, or things are kind of quiet and easy. At a big church like the one where I serve, it tends to be more insanely busy than quiet most of the time.

This week we will: have our regular Wednesday night (community dinner, and classes), have a Christian Seder on Thursday night (followed by choir practice, of course), have a Good Friday service (I am very much looking forward to it!) and then have 2 services on Easter Sunday morning (one of which I am preaching). Also, on the Saturday night (not without some controversy) we will have our Mystery Dinner wrap-up party.

In all of this, Jesus will be present (yes, I believe he will be there even at the Mystery Dinner party). And my deep hope is that all who gather will notice him and draw near to him. That in the services, the songs we sing, the prayers we pray and the meals we share, we will find Jesus. We will be touched again by his life and death and resurrection.

It will be a full week. And a good one, I expect. But I am blessed to begin this week by a quietly contemplative evening at home.

 

 

From humble beginnings…

I have been thinking about Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed recently. Here’s what Jesus said:

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.
It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants;
it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”
Matthew 13:31-32 NLT

The Kingdom of Heaven – the place where Jesus reigns, the place where we find ourselves in relationship with him – starts small. It starts humble. The smallest of all seeds. But it grows. It grows into great things which have an impact on the world around them. The tree big enough for birds to find shelter in its branches.

I walk every day along a path with some of the greatest trees. They are huge. And as I was walking the other day I was stopped dead in my tracks by the thought that there was a time that these trees were nothing more than a tiny seed falling into good soil.

This tree, in particular, is right at the beginning of my walking route. It is a beautiful tree, and there is no arguing that it is a majestic specimen. But even this was once only a tiny seed. It took good conditions, and a whole lot of time. And now the birds can find shelter in its branches.

I think we sometimes find ourselves frustrated with time it takes for the growth to happen. I think sometimes we miss the mustard seed all together – not noticing that it has been planted, not sensing the growth process as it begins beneath the surface.

I think I have been in that kind of season recently. But tonight I have hope. Tonight, I think I have begun to glimpse the first hints of green shoots poking through the dark soil.

If you could spare a prayer for me, for the community of faith where I serve as Associate Minister, for the future of the Kingdom and for humble beginnings that grow into great trees, I would appreciate it.

Party Theology

For the last three night I have been entertaining at my house. And tomorrow evening I am having friends over again. Some people have heard me talking about this and wondered if I am doing too much: giving too much of my time and resources to those I have entertained. That comes from a place of kindness – with the colds I had at Christmas and the recent stomach-flu-from-hell, those who love me are concerned for my health.

But personally, I don’t think there is any such thing as too much (responsible) partying with friends. If you were to read through the Gospel According to Luke, you would find that Jesus barely takes three steps before sitting down to another meal with some friends, dignitaries, or prostitutes and tax collectors.

I think Jesus knew there is something beautiful about sharing a meal with others. There is something wonderful that happens when people sit at table together.

I don’t think it is any mistake that one of the sacraments that we hold dear in all branches of the Christian church has to do with Jesus’ final meal – the last party that he had with his friends. (I love that Derek Webb describes communion this way: “and we’ll have us a party, where all the drinks are on me [Jesus], and surely as the rising sun, you shall be set free”)

I think Jesus had a party theology. I think he loved gathering people together around a meal and sharing laughter and stories and connections that make us truly human.

I love it when churches adopt a party theology, too. One where their deepest desire is to serve others well and to make sure that they know they are loved and cared for, that they are welcome.

Party theology means having a generous heart – wanting to invite in those who might otherwise be left out, wanting to share what we have with others. To me, it sounds a little Heavenly!

Flu-mageddon

It has been several days since I last blogged. That is because shortly after my last post, the stomach flu hit me hard. It had a one-two punch: nausea and diarrhea.

This week has mostly passed in a blur of stomach pain, strange sleeping patterns and days when I didn’t make it out of my pj’s. From what I hear, there were at least 7 other victims in my congregation. Goodness. What a week!

But I have been reminded of some great lessons this week:

1) Community is important, especially when the chips are down. After my initial moment of illness, I texted a trusted elder in the church because I knew she would let the appropriate people know that I was home sick for the next couple of days. She not only did that, she also supplied me with ginger ale and soup, and offered to pick up anything else I might need. Her kindness was echoed by many others in my congregation and it truly warmed my heart.

2) There ain’t nothin’ like family. My Mom, upon hearing I was sick, immediately offered to come and take care of me. No small thing, since it is about a 2.5 hr drive. As the week wore on and I continued to feel ill, she stopped offering and just made up her mind to come. When you are sick, there is nothing like your Mommy to make you feel better.

3) A dog is a wonderful companion. Koski was the best this week. I couldn’t take her out for our daily walks, but she never complained. She curled up close to me on the couch for most of the week. And I know I saw genuine concern in her eyes more than once.

4) I am blessed beyond what I deserve. Even when feeling rotten, there are so many good things for which to be thankful. First and foremost that this was just a passing illness. Not fun, for sure, but also not something that will keep me down for long. And then beyond that – more things than I could count. Little things like a comfy couch and a good book with which to pass the week. And big things, like the three I have mentioned above.

5) Even in this, God is with me. I had friends who offered their prayers this week, and that kept me thinking about God’s presence. It kept me thinking about the fact that though I felt cut off from most of my regular activities and relationships, I cannot go anywhere that He is not with me.

I hope your week has been easier than mine. And I hope you will take a moment and think about the lessons this week has taught you.

Rebekah’s World: Revamped!

I took a break from blogging this summer. Not because I didn’t have things to write about and news to share, but because I wasn’t entirely pleased with the format of my previous blog. I was having some trouble posting it to Facebook, and finding it awkward to share. I began researching other blog tools on the web, but didn’t quite figure out how to use them. I was frustrated and decided to take a break for a season and come back to it in the fall.

So here I am, back again. So much has happened in the past few months. The church where I serve as an Associate Minister is in a time of transition as we search for a new Lead Minister. I have lost 36 pounds to date on Weight Watchers. I have adopted a new puppy.

Life is beautiful.

If you would like to check out my former blog to read up on past posts and recipes, please click here.

It’s my intention to be back at blogging regularly now. I hope you’ll join me on the journey and enjoy reading about the world, through my eyes.

Blessings,
R.