The Meaning of Work / Pilgrimage Wk 5

Read "The Meaning of Work" at the Washington Post.

And for extra credit, "What It Takes to Make a Student" (NYTimes.com requires a free login - also, the article will go into the archives (that you have to pay for) in, I think, two weeks).

At my temp job I work sometimes with guys like Chris. As the author does, we want to ask "Why?" so we can start fixing. But the answer is chaos, it's every reason: education, racism and other echoes of slavery, behavioral, societial, the way that poverty is passed from generation to generation by a thousand structural and informal paths. (The Times article relates to this.)

I think of Jody's definition of "justice" - the absence of privilege. I know there's some great work in biblical archaeology (though I won't source it right now) corellating times when OT prophets were especially active with times of economic stratification and inequality (privilege). When the playing field was more level, the prophets were quieter.

Though I'm closer to Chris right now than I might have been (with a different education, or sense of vocation) and I have a sliver of insight into his world, I'm still on the privileged side of a fundamental difference. One car accident sent Chris on a tailspin; for others it's a health problem, or a child, or a divorce. But we see in Chris's story how one unexpected expense was a grenade tossed at a fragile future. I can absorb any one or two of those surprises with my job, savings, and insurance, and have access to a support network if I became overwhelmed on my own.

Chris's story also shows the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the self-esteem movement; he's inclined to believe the posters and poems, and has good intentions, but self-esteem didn't do anything for him after his car crash. Feeling good is a by-product (and an unpredictable one, at that) of doing and being good.

"All you got to do is love yourself, dude," he said.

"That's what I'm saying," Chris said quietly. "Where do I know how to love?"

Mike looked Chris in the eye. Just like they teach at the job center and in the schools, except that this was nothing like that.

"You can do anything, man," Mike said. "You're 25. You can do anything."

Sometimes I think the bunk about "anything" keeps us from doing SOMEthing. Wanting/needing/feeling entitled to it ALL, NOW, prevents us from taking the one step in front of us that is small but possible.

"There's some file cabinets that need to be moved," she said. From a distance, she had been watching how hard Chris was working and had said she was impressed. Up close, she saw that he was perspiring.

I don't have the answers, but elbow grease is a part of it I'm sure.

I need to wrap up this meandering for some other things today, so where is Jesus in all of this? What should the church, Christ's body, be in Chris's life? If he's a member? If he's not? Maybe you can comment.

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A couple good things to mention from the Pilgrimage last night. We included, for the first time, a person who was not present for week one. I haven't had the opportunity yet, but I'm itching to hear from her what she thought about it all. If any of you are pondering checking us out, email me at musicstpetersucc@sbcglobal.net for logistical details/directions.

We also had our second instance of "Could we continue this conversation beyond the circle?" and other beautiful, risky affirmation that our practice of discernment and intentional stewardship is moving and impacting us as we make decisions about how we will live, in everyday ways and in life-changing ones. Apologies for the run-on sentence; too much thought to cram in to words.

It's like this, and we're headed in a vital direction. -h

Scattered Reflections on Temping / Pilgrimage Wk 4

Background; I am currently working half-time for St. Peter's UCC, and all the other time possible for a temp agency.

"Scattered" is the operative word; perhaps you will percieve a theme I have not and can comment back to me. I will try to frame these thoughts as part of my own faith journey, and not as blanket proscriptions or generalizations.

Have you heard of the "tentmaking" model of being a pastor? The idea is that the apostle Paul, while he was travelling around shepherding new groups of Christians, maintained his trade (tentmaking) to support his ministry. He was not a full-time, professional, salaried pastor; there's a security and a perspective to be had for people in ministry who follow that model. After two years of full-time professional ministry, I've been tentmaking this month.

It's revived my respect for the struggle between working a regular job (and probably having a family in the household, which I don't) and then trying to be involved in a faith community. It's a lot to do!

Jody and I do well at keeping our message concrete, real, and the temp experience is affirming and re-emphasizing the importance of that. If we learn anything from Jesus, it's that the whole message must be complete at the ground level. Higher-level abstract theology is fine and good and even interesting to me at times, but our core truths and ways of living are something we share with uneducated, first-century peasants.

I feel like I'm walking a fine line here. I'm not saying that we ought to be stuck in the past, stuck in a book, or stuck in an understanding of God's truth that people had two thousand years ago. I'm saying that the basics - Christ loves us, do not be afraid, care for others and the world and live in communities of love so outstanding that the world is compelled to pay attention - are necessarily expressed and embodied in offices, garages, homes, farms, factories, and on the street.

Tentmaking is freeing me up to follow Jesus a little differently, and have some distance from the expectations placed, by others and by myself, on a full-time professional minister.

This leads, in my case, to a new struggle to integrate my identity as a full-time steward in Christ's service with a professional life that consists largely of stuffing envelopes, data entry, making phone calls, and other busywork that keeps large businesses running. While affirming that free markets, reasonably regulated, have created an explosion of economic well-being since the Enlightenment, I'm not sure how I feel about my new role as a grunt in the world economy. How does that fit (or not fit) with my sense of stewardship? My pop band raises the same question, albeit in a more fun way.

Note - I'm being completely un-ironic. The kindness and common courtesy I've encountered, even doing phone surveys, is inspiring. Maybe it's just Midwesterners. But I'm impressed and encouraged, folks. Together, let's keep that up. There's hope for us yet.

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Pulling a piece from Eric's comment to the previous post up to the top level, "This post... reminds me of a one-sentence definition of salvation I came up with several years ago. It took me six weeks of work, prayer, and worship to come up with the single sentence, but it has stuck with me ever since. It's not so much a definition (as if salvation could really be defined, or words themselves could express the majesty and implications) as an indication - a pointing in a certain direction. And it touches on some of the points you made. So here it is: 'Salvation is discovering you are loved beyond your wildest imagination and determining to live your life according to this discovery.'"

This sentence, of course, made its way in to the Phoenix Affirmations.

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The Pilgrimage last night was a small group gathered from the (so-far) usual crowd. Nothing earthshaking. OR... is a group of "two or more..." focused on listening for God's still-small voice and committed/committing to lives of stewardship, caring for God's people and universe, inherently earthshaking? No matter how (un/)emotional, or (un/)"successful," or quiet or humble such a fellowship is?

That's the question, isn't it? :-)

Is sacrificial love really what it's about?

I'm in a long process of betting my life on it.

Pilgrimage Wk 3 / Grace & Works

The Pilgrimage continues. In our third week, things are spinning up on two sides simultaneously. First, we're learning and internalizing the practice, so worship flows more smoothly - fewer stops & starts (not that stops are bad). Second, we're getting down deeper into our individual hopes, struggles, and ideas for our lives as stewards of God's people and God's universe. Our first instance of "Can we continue this discussion outside of the circle?" occured. And Ann's meatloaf was even better than the first time.

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Following Adam's comment on my previous post back to his blog, I read some of his thoughts on grace/works and pondered and found a slice of clarity for myself.

"You don't have to do anything; now what are you going to do?!"

A quick Google search didn't yield a source for the quote. Maybe Jody came up with it. That would be rad - if so, "Aye-ko, Shepherd!"

This is the gospel message I've heard on grace. A Divine "you don't have to do anything." Unconditional. Martin Luther is the example, at one extreme, of trying to do everything possible to merit God's grace. He became a supermonk, and the more he did the farther from grace he felt. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the "invite Jesus into your heart" prayers. This sets the most minimal condition imaginable on grace... "acceptance" of grace... and tiny as it seems, still sets a limit on grace that can be enforced with astounding vigor by those who see themselves on the inside of grace.

Grace-by-merit is lost on both the maximal and minimal paths. You don't have to do anything; now what are you going to do?!

Luther discovered all over again that the God who prods our moral vision forward and outward in ever-widening circles of "love your neighbor as yourself" will never be at rest in us. When he found that he didn't have to do anything, what was his response? Work! Transformation. In the freedom of Christ's gospel grace, if we're listening we find the needs of God's people and world linking up with our own longings and gifts. We see that salvation by grace is not static - not a state of achievement - but a responsive "working out," work-in-progress, Under Construction - "follow me."

Grace is a wonderful and terrible freedom. Christ has freed us from fear of God's punishment; we are at peace with God. Extra credit; look up how many times the phrase "Do not be afraid" occurs in scripture, and comment back to us. Terrible because by grace we are thrust out into the world with a still-small voice whispering to us, "now what are you going to do?!" It's not easy.

Surprise for me as I write! This goes straight back to the Pilgrimage, which is a place for us to intentionally and deeply listen to that question, "now what?!" and respond.

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This understanding of grace is also why I am a universalist, assuming the existence of an afterlife. I hope to write sometime in response to KansasBob's "Divine Pets" post, which raises what I consider the strongest objection to universalist thought; that it destroys freedom. However, Bob's premise is that grace is something that can be either accepted or rejected; I dispute the premise, saying that grace simply is. "You don't have to do anything..." -h

Vision & the Young-In-Years

Yesterday was "Quest Sunday" at St. Peter's, where leaders from our major program areas (Council, Youth, Music, Mission, Evangelism, etc.) briefly shared their vision for the coming year.

My vision for the "young-in-years" shares the same purpose as our vision for the whole church; that we serve the world as Jesus Christ, and strengthen each other for service. Within that purpose are literally thousands, if not millions, of possibilities for worship, growth, and action. Towards this purpose, I understand my role to be a builder/midwife of "redemptive fellowships" - small, intimate, family-like groups of struggling, striving Jesus-followers.

The always-question; "So, what does that actually look like?!"

I have five markers for purposeful youth ministry, which I did not write myself (thanks JR). In order of importance, they are: safety, fun, affirmation (knowing God loves you and the people at church love you), message, and community (which is a result of the first four).

For the younger kids, this looks like Sunday School during 10:30 worship; we have a lot of fun, prioritize the experience of a loving community over the lesson plan, and learn Bible stories in a concrete way. For the older kids, who are or are approaching adulthood in the church, there is a dialogue between the group and I. I set out and create some opportunities for service and strengthening; I also listen and respond to the older kids' own discernment about the kinds of service and strengthening they feel called to engage in.

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I hold my vision in conversation with the larger universe of youth ministry, and Time Magazine's online edition has an article about what young people are looking for in a faith community (thanks Bill Tammeus).

When coupled with conclusions of scholarly research, a pattern emerges. "The amount of freedom and opportunity kids have in high school to express and wrestle with doubt, the mysteries of scripture and its applicability to the problems in their own lives is related to the maturity of their faith [as young adults]," says Kara Powell, executive director of Fuller Seminary's Center for Youth and Family Ministry...

There's a lot at stake. Those who seek but don't find typically abandon religion, often never to return, says Justin Taylor, whose theologica.blogspot.com blog mixes theology, culture and politics. "So many youth ministries quickly become irrelevant to teens," he says, "because pastors get kids excited with cool video clips and cutting-edge music, but then when a parent gets cancer and the teenager is lying in bed wondering what life is all about, he or she discovers there's nothing to sustain them."

The other thing that has interested me lately is the evangelicals' own statistics that project fewer and fewer of those who are now teens (Ron Luce is quoted in the Time piece, and you may remember my posts on BattleCry's 4% statistic). The evangelicals have out-programmed and out-youth-ministried everyone else for forty years, and this is what they've accomplished?! Concerned friends, are we at a place where we can finally recognize that pizza-party-based, CCM-blasting, ski-trip-taking youth ministry led by fresh-faced, enthusiastic, baseball-cap-wearing camp counselors* is broken?

I am.

Kids can smell inauthenticity from a mile away (so can I). Why, at the time in life when we are crazed with energy and passion, are at our most idealistic, are ready to throw our whole lives into a long-shot attepmt to change the world by living differently... do we tack towards a ministry of pizza parties?

I will not. I am happy to host a pizza party, or a lock-in (like this past weekend's), as part of a youth group's (redemptive fellowship's) living-out of its larger purpose to serve/strengthen. But without the wider vision, we are only hindering the efforts of Jesus-followers, and the possibilities for young people to become such. We are underestimating (or scared of?) people's need for authentic community; it's messy, it's dangerous, it requires our whole, true selves, and it cannot be contained or mediated by curriculum, video clips, music that apes the latest pop, or any other quick-fix.

I suggest (again, inspired by Trueblood) a return to the kind of community that infected the Roman world in the wake of Jesus. I am working on it. It may be naive, but it's all I can see. I may sound repetitive, but so is the gospel. This is my vision, ancient and bleeding edge, and I know I am not alone.

-h

*Yes, this is a broad swipe, I mean no offense but only aim to draw a sort of verbal cartoon as a caricature of a truth I percieve. I've even been known to be "enthusiastic" from time to time myself - I am part of the cartoon.