First Things

An angel in the Thrift Shop

2011-12-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

A Christmas angel arrived in the Thrift Shop last Saturday. He wasn’t very big, only the size of your average second grader. He wasn’t wearing white and didn’t sport a halo. There weren’t any trumpets or angel choirs, although there were Christmas carols in the background. And unlike most angels who arrive all strange and unannounced, this angel has been coming into the Thrift Shop regularly since he was a preschooler. His life hasn’t been so heavenly either; the Thrift Shop volunteers tell me that he’s had a tough life.

Michael (not his name but a good one for angels) arrived Saturday morning his face wreathed in smiles. Under his arm he had a brand new truck of which he was clearly quite proud. He placed it on the counter and then politely asked the Thrift Shop volunteer if she would please give it to some kid who needed a Christmas present. “I figure some kid needs this more than me.”

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:1-9)

Isaiah wrote these words to encourage his people in a time when peace on earth was a rare thing, as difficult to imagine as wild beasts behaving as if they were housepets. It was a time when nothing was certain, a time of despair and dislocation. A time not unlike our own. Like our ancestors in faith, we dream of a day when the most vulnerable may live without fear, a time when every inch of the earth is drenched in presence of the Holy. And like them, every once in a while we receive a glimpse of what that world might look like- a world full of angels bearing trucks under their arms speaking words of compassion and hope.

ELEVEN wells by 11/11/11???

2011-09-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

This fall, the UCC has launched “Mission:1”, a national effort to engage local churches in fighting hunger. During the first 11 days of November (11/1/11-11/11/11), UCC churches aim to:

- Collect 1 million items of healthy food

- Raise $111,111 for Neighbors in Need

- Write 11,111 letters in support of Bread for the World’s offering of letters campaign¹

Out of this awareness, the “11 by 11/11/11” challenge was born. The lack of clean, accessible water is one of the primary causes of hunger and disease. And the remedy is simple and inexpensive. For $1000, organizations like Church World Service are able to provide a well and training in how to maintain a safe drinking supply TO AN ENTIRE VILLAGE.

Pastor Laura has issued a challenge to our congregation- to raise enough money to provide eleven wells, $11,000, by November 11 of this year.

This is a very challenging goal- but we are going to try. Here are some ideas.

- Tweet or Facebook post about the challenge and invite your friends to donate. Include a link to Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org). And have them let you know that they did!

- Get together with friends, family or co-workers and have a tag or bake sale, can drive or other fun fund-raiser.

- Pick an amount to set aside each day or week that you’ll donate on 11/11. Perhaps $1.11 per day or $11 dollars per week.

- Do you use bottled water? Drink tap and donate what you would have spent.

This challenge is about more than money though. This is an opportunity for us at First Church to deepen our spiritual roots as we learn the lessons of the desert. During the next few weeks, this will be the topic of our sermons, church school lessons and meditations.

So join us as we serve Christ by serving our brothers and sisters in need.

¹ See www.breadfortheworld.org for more information

Well, well, well

2011-09-01T11:42:00.000-04:00

As I write this column, many people are still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. For most of us, this has meant having no power or water. For others it has meant both those things plus too much water in the wrong places- basements, yards, etc. After four days of hauling water to flush the toilet and using the gas grill to cook meals and heat enough water to wash dishes, it’s getting hard to be cheerful about the inconvenience.

One benefit of all this is that it has made me very aware of how much I take certain things for granted. In particular, I’m aware of how fortunate I am to have abundant, clean, HOT water as close as the nearest faucet. There are places in the world that never have this and other places where it is not reliable. Imagine having to haul the water you need for your family for miles every day. I’m tired just bringing it up and down stairs. And imagine having to boil every drop of it before you even brush your teeth because the water is probably teeming with bacteria. I don’t think I should be complaining too much if I have to use the pool water to flush the toilet or haul my 5 gallon Igloo to work to fill it with water from the office tap!

Due to the failure of seasonal rains, scarcity of water and the skyrocketing cost of food, over twelve million people in East Africa are dying of hunger and thirst. Emergency aid can help, but most people believe that the long-term solution to recurrent drought is to capture and store more water in the community. Since 2007, Church World Service and its partners have helped residents drill wells, build hilltop water catchments and construct concrete "sand dams" that hold water in the sandy beds of seasonal streams. These efforts have helped ease the current drought by preventing people from having to walk miles to fetch water, but local water supplies must still be rationed to 10 gallons per household per day.

Jesus said that whoever gives a cup of water to a person in need serves Him as well. I think we can better than a cup. For $1000, Church World Service can provide an entire community with a well and training in how to use and maintain it. I am issuing a challenge to First Church and its friends- to raise enough money for 11 wells by 11/11/11.

What’s with the “11”? It is in answer to a challenge from the national body of the UCC called Mission:1. For the first 11 days of November, United Church of Christ congregations, colleges, seminaries, and health and human service agencies, will join together in a collective mission campaign to collect more than 1 million food items for local food banks, raise $111,111 in online donations for Neighbors in Need and $111,111 for East Africa famine relief, and write 11,111 letters to Congress (in support of Bread for the World’s 2011 Offering of Letters campaign) asking that U.S. foreign assistance be reformed to more effectively serve the world’s poorest people.

It’s a challenging goal, but I know we can do it if we pool our resources (sorry- I couldn’t resist the pun). Start thinking of ways you can engage your friends, neighbors and co-workers. I’ll pledge $100 to get us started. Send your donation to First Church, marked “water”, or pledge directly online at https://secure2.convio.net/cws/site/Donation2?df_id=1414&1414.donation=form1 and let us know so we can add your donation to our tally.

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24

A book, a cup, some jewelry and a snake

2011-07-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, I admit it. I stayed up WAY past my bedtime in order to be among the first to see the final installment of the Harry Potter movie series. I’ve read all the books (more than once in a few cases) and seen all the movies (ditto). I even wore crocheted radish earrings courtesy of my friend Lindsey, ala Luna Lovegood.

I know that some Christians are concerned that the book glorifies magic which they understand to be a threat to faith. And I agree that magical thinking can harm genuine faith- think of the people you know whose conception of God is rather like the Great Magician in the Sky, producing the desired effect if the right incantation/prayer is said. But since Harry Potter is fiction, making no claims to be anything but good stories, I’m more worried about the latter than the former.

Like all good stories, the Harry Potter tales wrestle with some deep spiritual questions. Take Horcruxes, for example. In the Harry Potter series, the villain, Voldemort, stores pieces of his soul in seven objects called Horcruxes so that a part of him will live on if he is killed. Voldemort choses objects that have meaning for him: a book, a ring, a locket, a cup, a diadem, his pet snake.

Don’t we do that? Don’t we invest a part of ourselves in things that have significance to us, our houses, our cars, our jobs? Sometimes the object is not material; it’s a concept like security or success. But we all have our treasures.

Jesus has lots to say about treasure. Here’s one saying:

Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (MT 6:19-21)

The problem with most treasures is that they can be destroyed. And as Voldemort discovers, once the Horcrux is destroyed a part of the soul dies too. Perhaps that’s because the only way to create a Horcrux is through murder. The act of depriving another of life literally tears the murderer into pieces. And with each act of investing an ever-diminishing soul in a treasured item, the maker loses more of his or her natural humanity and the soul becomes increasingly unstable. Paradoxically, the quest for immortality only strengthens the power of death and hastens its victory.

Jesus says, “Here’s another way of going about it.” The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.(MT 13:44-46)

The kingdom of heaven, the realm of God, the place where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven- that treasure is worth giving our hearts and souls to, that treasure will never be destroyed. It is even worth giving our lives for.

Are you splitting your soul into bits investing your self in things which won't last? Or are you giving your all for something eternal, something that gives Life when you give your life to it?

The kingdom of heaven is moldy and full of weeds

2011-07-18T14:51:00.000-04:00

I sometimes think God must get Her yucks messing with our heads. How else can we explain the way things happen sometimes?

I’ll give you an example: for the past several months I have had a major misunderstanding with someone I have been close to all my life. It has been one of those awful situations where small slights and minor miscommunications are compounded by a crisis and left to stew for a while. The kind of situation where neither is to blame and both are at fault. An initial effort had been made to bridge the gap between us, but we were having a hard time finding a date and place to meet so that we could try to resolve our estrangement. Work, home life and residual stubbornness got in the way.

And then last week, a colleague with whom I had lunch plans in Hartford failed to show up. After waiting around for half an hour, I got on the highway only to hit terrible traffic in Waterbury due to an accident in Southbury (if you’ve ever travelled this route you are already feeling my pain). Hungry, frustrated and tired, I got home and had just started to make a late lunch when the phone rang. “What fresh hell is this?” I wondered.

“Hey Laura” the voice on the other end said when I answered the phone “I just passed you on the highway and wondered if you were free to talk.” You guessed it- the person I was estranged from was on the other end of the phone. He had been taking a class, gotten caught in the same traffic I had so had taken a detour and just “happened” to see me driving past. He came, we talked for two hours and our relationship was mended.

Coincidence? Maybe. But maybe it was God messing up my careful plan to control the conversation to justify myself. Maybe it was God giving both of us a good swift kick in the butt to do it NOW.

If you don’t think God loves disrupting expectations and foiling plans, read the parables for this week in Matthew 13. In each of them, Jesus compares the new reality he is inaugurating with an image of foolishness and disruption. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed someone planted in their garden- What? Who would knowingly plant something sure to take over and spoil all their careful cultivating, feeding and tending? Planting mustard seeds was not only foolish; it was against Jewish law. The realm of God is like yeast that a woman hides in a measure of flour-Huh? There were no nice neat packets of Fleischmann’s in those days; leavening was accomplished by putting a gnarly bit of moldy dough in the mixture. Yeast was used as metaphor for corruption.

God’s realm is like weeds and moldy dough? Apparently so.

It came from under the pew

2011-06-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite sermon titles of all times is "It Came From Under the Pew". I will confess that I couldn't resist borrowing it (thanks Karl D!). As Luke tells the story, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue one day when a man possessed with a demon starts disrupting the lesson (Luke 4:31-37). Recognizing Jesus' power, the demon causes quite an uproar and demands that Jesus leave him alone.

Have you ever noticed that about the time something good is about to happen the "demons" arrive on the scene? A process that has been going smoothly suddenly hits a bump. A group that has been working well together starts getting snarky with each other. The differences which folks usually manage well bubble up into resentments and boil over.

I used to be surprised and frustrated when this happened, because it truly did seem to come from "under the pew"- sudden, unexpected and disturbing. But I've come to realize that what is happening is necessary and, dare I say it, good. The new thing about to emerge creates pressure on the old vessel that contained it- a way of doing things, a worldview, a relationship. As the old vessel begins to crack open, anxiety amplifies the negative emotions and behaviors which have remained hidden beneath the surface to the point where that they can't be contained any longer.

I still get startled when "demons" pop up out of nowhere, I've learned to recognize them for what they are- a positive sign, a sign that the Holy One is on the move. The snarkiness and resistance and mean-spiritedness mean that God's cleaning crew is sweeping the cobwebs from under the furniture and emptying out the closets to make room for the new life that is about to come.

Walking with Cody

2011-06-16T15:32:00.000-04:00

Now that Cody, our Golden retriever puppy, is reliably leash trained, I have started to make good on my plan to walk around the church's neighborhood at least once a week. This affords me the opportunity to multi-task; we both get exercise and I get a completely different perspective on who our neighbors are.

I've been wanting to do this for awhile. Our building is large, impressive and a bit imposing from the outside. I can't tell you how often people who have lived in Danbury for years say they've never been inside. But even more importantly, there are lots of people who come here regularly whose only walk in downtown Danbury is the one from the parking lot to the front door. I have been guilty of this myself all too often.

I hoped to see differently on these walks and so far this has been true. One of the challenges of walking with a dog, especially a puppy, is that they are interested in everything. They stop often to smell, look, and- most challenging, eat whatever catches their attention. The blessing in this is that, if you pay attention, you see things you wouldn't have otherwise. There are pockets of beauty as well as pockets of decay within steps of our front door. Often they are right next to one another.

Today we walked toward Kennedy Park, past the bus station and along Main Street back to West St and the church. I found fewer empty stores than I expected. I was surprised at the number of houses of worship. All but three of these churches (the ones on West St) worship in Portuguese or Spanish. And I was astonished at the number of businesses that do business in a language other than English- my impression is that on the block we walked the ratio may be as high as 2/3 or 3/4. This observation brought home to me in a whole new way what our demographic survey told us about our immediate area.

Dogs are the masters of inclusivity. They have no interest in color, race, economics or any of the other things we humans notice. Cody stopped to visit with two African-American girls, a Hispanic man, one of the folks at Ives Manor and a woman with a walker on Main Street. He followed a woman with a rolling suitcase and checked out the fire fighter across the road. As a result, both the people I met and I had an easier time connecting across the usual things that divide us. And dogs bring out the best in us- one man offered us water and the woman with the walker worried about all the dogs who don't have loving owners.

My husband says the dog is God spelled backwards. Today Cody taught me to see with God's eyes a bit more and gave me a chance to walk the streets meeting people where they are like Jesus did. I wonder where he'll take me next time?

Sealed in a tomb

2011-04-23T09:28:00.002-04:00

Matthew 27:57-66

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, "After three days I will rise again.' 64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, "He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

What needs resurrecting in your life? What have you sealed away? What makes it hard to turn this over to God and trust that God will bring you, too, through death to new life?

Prayer: Lord God, we admit that we need to be resurrected. Open the places in us where old grief, festering wounds and half-forgotten sins lay entombed. Reassure us of your presence with us when we stumble, suffer, or are afraid in any way. As we keep await your coming anew, give us strength, courage, and peace, that we may greet you with Mary and the disciples- forgiven, re-created and free. Amen.

What's so good about it?

2011-04-22T08:41:00.000-04:00

Matthew 27:32-56

32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him. 37 Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, "I am God's Son.' " 44 The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. 45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." 48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" 55 Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

How does Jesus' death tell the truth about our lives and world? How does it make us despair? How does it give us hope?

Prayer: Lord God, on the cross you suffered the worst that life can offer- betrayal by friends, humiliation by crowds, an excruciating death. And you did this out of love for every human being and all creation. Today, dear Lord, we pray for the innocent victims of others sin. We ask your forgiveness and offer our own lives as a sacrifice for the world. Amen.

From cheers to jeers

2011-04-21T08:22:00.000-04:00

Just as we imagined ourselves as part of the crowd shouting Hosanna on Palm Sunday, we imagine ourselves today as part of the mob which called for Jesus’ death.

Matthew 27:1-31

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." 7 After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. 8 For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me." 11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?" 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. 15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. 17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" 18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified!" 23 Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!" 24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Where do you see the struggle for power and the easy resort to defamation and violence in our world today? In what ways does fear poison our relationships at home and at work as well as in the larger world? What one thing would you ask God to change about your life or the world? How can you contribute to making that happen?

Prayer: We are so easily led at times, Lord. Out of fear or jealousy or greed, we shift alliances to meet our own needs. Often others pay the price for this. Please forgive us. Use us instead, Lord God, as instruments of peace in the world. May we, like Jesus, be willing to pay the price to bring wholeness and justice to others. Amen.

And then there were none

2011-04-20T16:42:00.000-04:00

The betrayer is at hand. The hour has come. Jesus faces his accusers alone.

Matthew 26: 47-75

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him." 49 At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. 57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, "This fellow said, "I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.' " 62 The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?" 63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." 64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." 67 Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, 68 saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?" 69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70 But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." 71 When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.

What strengthens us to keep faith with those we care about? What tempts us to abandon them? Where have you felt abandoned? Where do you need the support of good friends? Who needs you?

Prayer: Lord God, protect and preserve us in this world that we might keep faith with the promises and responsibilities we have undertaken, and when we feel alone remind us that you understand and are with us. Amen.

Passed over

2011-04-19T09:12:00.000-04:00

Today's reflection recounts Jesus' sharing of the Passover meal with his friends. As I read this, I am mindful that our Jewish siblings in faith began their celebration of Passover last night. Both the Jewish celebration of Passover meal and our celebration Communion commemorate God's faithfulness in response to human brokenness and betrayal. Just as God passed over the homes of the Israelites on the night when the firstborn of Egypt were slain, so God passes over our sin by giving his Firstborn.

Matthew 26:17-46

17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, "The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.' " 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. 20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21 and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." 22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so." 26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." 30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." 33 Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you." 34 Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." 35 Peter said to him, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples. 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38 Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." 39 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." 43 Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."

What difference does the Lord's Supper make in our lives? Does the meal we share on Sunday nourish our lives in the world? If so, how? If not, how might it? When have you last seen someone who needed a tangible expression of God's love? How can you help that person realize how precious they are to God?

Prayer: Jesus, it is hard to imagine the depth of your love for us. We are humbled, awed and, to be honest, a little put off by it because a love this profound requires a response. Lord God, thank you for the gift of your own body and blood. Let that gift strengthen us so that we can overcome the obstacles that tempt us to betray you. Amen.

What have you done with Gentle Jesus, Sweet and Mild?

2011-04-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

Following the great excitement of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the disciples noticed a change in Jesus. He began to talk more about judgment and predicted he would soon die. He challenged the leaders of the synagogue and seemed to go out of his way to offend the authorities. The New Revised Standard version of the Bible says the city was in “turmoil”, a word that can also be translated “earthquake”. Jesus was shaking things up- and not in a good way.

Matthew 26:1-16

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people." 6 Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, "Why this waste? 9 For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her." 14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Where do we see hostility and betrayal in our world? Is there anything that would be worth it to you to betray a friend? What small betrayals have we been ensnared by, and how can we make amends for them?

Prayer: Lord God, prevent us from allowing our bitterness or disappointment to lead us to harm others whether in thought or deed. Amen.

A reflection for Palm Sunday

2011-04-19T08:39:00.002-04:00

It happens every year. The Holy Week panic. Despite proper planning, the day arrives when I feel as there is SO MUCH TO DO and SO LITTLE TIME to do it. My brain goes into lockdown, and I forget something I meant to do. And this year the thing I forgot to do was get this week of reflection started.

I came across the idea of a week of reflections on the Working Preacher website www.workingpreacher.org. I highly recommend it to all preachers and anyone who wants a thoughtful take on the week’s readings. There are plenty of tools for preaching but also some great reflection and study tools. Thanks David Lose for making my crazy week a little easier.

Below is a brief bible reading, some questions to consider and a prayer.

Palm Sunday: Matthew 21:1-11

1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, "The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately. " 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

So here’s today’s question to reflect upon: What do we celebrate as having the potential to save? Celebrities, political figures, athletes, technology? What do we do when we are disappointed in our hopes?

Prayer: Lord God, keep our attention on those things that nurture life and lead us to greater fellowship with you and with each other. Amen.

Is Anne Frank in Hell?

2011-03-30T09:02:00.000-04:00

The big buzz in Christian circles lately concerns a new book by Rob Bell, the pastor of a Christian megachurch in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the book, Bell tackles the questions of heaven, hell and who gets sent there. His answers have shocked and angered some Christians and created an opening for conversation that will not easily be closed down. Bell summarizes his testimony in the title of the book- Love Wins.

As a pastor I’m often asked what I believe about what these topics. Sometimes the question is born of a need for consolation following a death. What has happened to my loved one? Will I see her again? Sometimes the question is designed to help the questioner fit me into a theological category. Am I one of those Christians who believe that only certain people are “eligible” or that there are certain words or actions that are the ticket into heaven?

The testimony of my faith community, the United Church of Christ, affirms that “God promises to all who trust in the gospel forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.” There is plenty of room in that affirmation for a range of beliefs, but frankly, we don’t worry too much about the hereafter. We believe heaven and hell start right here on earth. We believe that Jesus came to inaugurate a new realm on earth and to be the signpost that embodied God’s love which is the constitution of that realm. So we’re more concerned with the here and now; with issues of peace-making, justice and care for others. We grieve the places that are hell-on-earth and try to bring a little bit of heaven into those places. And we believe that by doing so, we are more fully in the channel of God’s love ourselves.

That is not to say that many of us don’t believe there is a heaven or hell. We do. But many of us are not willing to affirm the message that unless a person believes in Jesus, that person is doomed forever. We are not willing to speak with certainty about a moment that no living person has ever witnessed. At its core, Jesus’ message is that God is Love and Love wins. How could the Christian gospel, a word that means “good news”, be good if it condemns billions of people? And why would anyone worship such an arbitrary and thoughtless being? And so we find it difficult to believe that a loving God send someone who had never heard of Jesus into eternal torment; refuse to believe that a just God would send someone like Gandhi or Anne Frank to hell.

If God is Love, then perhaps what happens at the gateway between earthly and eternal life goes something like this: we see our lives as God has and are confronted with the full measure of God’s unconditional love for us; and then we are free to choose. We can accept or reject God’s unconditional love. Acceptance entails being completely re-made so that we are fully what God intended us to be. Not everyone will choose it, and for them there is eternal separation from God. God’s desire, I believe, is that no one will choose it.

Someone asked Bell what happens if he is wrong. His answer went something like, if God really does condemn billions of people to hell then we have a much bigger problem than what a pastor from Minnesota thinks. If God really does punish anyone who hasn’t said the right words or done the right thing or been part of the right group, then God is not so different from us humans. I haven’t read his book yet, so I can’t say whether I agree with everything he says- though I do agree with his conclusion. Love wins.

Carbon Fast

2011-03-09T09:09:00.002-05:00

This year for Lent, the spiritual discipline I have adopted is the Carbon Fast, sponsored by the New England Regional Environmental Ministries of the United Church of Christ (http://www.macucc.org/pages/detail/2410) The Carbon Fast suggest an activity designed to increase awareness of the ways in which their day to day living impacts the environment and make the changes they can.

While we consider all of the activities a form of spiritual practice, a concrete way of participating in the stewardship of God’s creation, some of the activities are overtly spiritual in the more usual sense that people understand the word: meditation, prayer, self-reflection. The intention is to provide do-able actions which can make a difference; not to overwhelm people, make them feel bad about themselves, or cause them to feel that the situation is hopeless. We want people to feel better for doing this as well as challenging themselves to do more. (from Carbon Fast website)

Today’s meditation reminds us that all energy, including our physical and psychic energy, comes from God as a gift. My own energy level is low lately. It seems that I am tired more often than I am energized. Maybe it’s the season- after a winter indoors I crave sunlight and warmth as much as the earth herself does. Perhaps it’s the need to shepherd my congregation through a time of crucial decisions. Maybe it’s the season of life I’m in, one in which everything seems to be in transition. Or perhaps it is all of the above.

I am surprised to realize that I often treat my personal energy as a tool rather than a gift. I am struck by the fact that I am mindful of the energy I use to drive my car, planning my trips carefully, but am often heedless of how I drive myself. The question I’ll be meditating on today is “Given that my energy is a gift from God, what is the most faithful way to spend it today?”

Nothing's ever wasted

2011-02-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

A song by one of my favorite songwriters, Carrie Newcomer, has been stuck in my head this week. The refrain is "nothing's ever wasted; not the sweet or bitter fruit I've tasted." I really need this reminder lately because it seems as if everyone I know is struggling with more than the usual amount of difficulty. A good friend, who is struggling with the chaos of a management overhaul at work, caught the flu and learned her mother died on Monday. Our bright, hard-working daughter ( no bias here of course) received a rejection letter from what seems like the hundredth potential employer. First Church seems to go from one building challenge to the next. Like the roofs of many area buildings, I wonder how many storms folks can endure before something gives way.

I don't believe that God sends every trial that comes our way, but I do believe that God uses them. In God's economy there is never any waste; God is the premiere Composter of souls. Loss, disappointment, brokenness- God can take them and use them to nurture new life the way human gardeners take food scraps and manure and turn them into plant food. In God's hands, nothing is without meaning or value. When the roof of our lives caves in, it creates the opening through which God can enter.

Nothing's ever wasted- that's my faith statement for today.

A Grimm Gospel

2011-01-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite stories when I was growing up was Cinderella. Maybe it was being the oldest child and only girl, the one who inevitably got assigned the household chores. Maybe it was being the “good girl” who watched my mischievous younger siblings get away with things that I never could. Or maybe it was just the swishy ball gown and the handsome prince. At any rate I loved the story and watched it whenever it came on TV- this was in the olden days before DVDs and Tivo.

A number of years later, shortly after I had two daughters of my own, I came across the original version of the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. And they are, pardon the pun, grim indeed. These are not the sanitized Disney versions we share with the kids. They are sometimes violent, biting critiques of social injustices. In the original Cinderella, the social-climbing stepsisters resort to cutting off parts of their feet in order to get them into the golden slipper that will prove they are “the one”. The birds who assist Cinderella in escaping their tyranny peck out their eyes at the end of the story. Hardly the thing to read to your little ones at bedtime!

Reading the week’s commentaries on the Beatitudes, I was reminded that reading Jesus’ teachings can be like reading the fairy tales of our childhood. Many of us have only heard the sanitized version, the one that makes you feel good and doesn’t disturb your sleep. We’ve heard the Be-happy attitudes, the ones that reassure us that we are blessed when we try to be good children. But fewer of us have encountered the tale in its original, subversive and disturbing form. This is Good News which is bad news for those in power, those with privilege and prestige. This is a story about the God who shows up in the broken places to hang out with the down and out, the ones dressed in rags and covered with ashes. This is a God who reveals the lengths to which we will go to fit ourselves into the golden slipper, whatever that is for us. This is a God whose message shows us that we are blind to ourselves, one another and the Holy. This is a God who is a revolutionary, turning the ways things are on their heads and saying this upside down order is the ways things should be.

Jesus’ gospel is a Grimm gospel indeed.

A response to Martin Luther King, Jr. sings

2011-01-13T11:34:00.000-05:00

After watching this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbqNaIRW9vY , I was moved to write this prayer.. We'll be using both this Sunday during worship.Please feel free to use or adapt it.

A prayer of confession

Almighty God, we confess that have not been ready to stand up for what is right; we have allowed those would do violence to rage unopposed. We have not been determined to speak out for justice and equality; we have allowed the voices of hatred to speak unchallenged. We have seen the land of promise, a world where people of all races and genders and political affiliations live in peace, but our fear has kept us all in exile. We yearn for the mountaintop but we have been unable to make our way there or make room for one another on the journey. And so we need your forgiveness and your help. Straighten our backs, open our minds and hearts. Fill us with the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr- your Holy Spirit. Amen

(Silence is kept)

Assurance of Pardon

Sisters and brothers, we’ve got some difficult days ahead, but it really doesn’t matter. Our eyes will see the glory of the coming of the Lord. Our ears will hear the Almighty call, and by God’s grace, we will get to the mountaintop together. We may not see the day in its fullness, but we believe it will come through the power of God's peace and the willingness of God's children. May it be so.

"Think About It" (Freedom) A Veterans Tribute

2010-11-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd share this moving tribute to veterans which was written by Jim Moriarty (at the piano) and performed by the First Church Choir and friends this past Sunday. Thank you Jim for this wonderful gift!

Jesus did not start a church

2010-11-09T13:10:00.000-05:00

It’s no secret that many churches are in decline. Big churches that used to worry about how to fit everyone in now worry about how to get people to sit closer together. Smaller churches struggle to find enough people to fill committees. Churches of all sizes struggle to make ends meet- and not all of them are able to survive. And it’s not only mainline churches or even Christian communities that are experiencing declining membership; faith communities of all kinds are shrinking.

Many faith communities have responded using the tools which worked in the past. They try to recreate the “Good Old Days” when families attended sabbath service together and faith communities were at the center of community life. As one wag put it, if the 1950’s ever come back we’ll have churches ready for them. Of course, they aren’t coming back, nor should they. Instead something much more interesting seems to be breaking through. Phyllis Tickle, in The Great Emergence, documents the “big garage sale” that the Christian Church undergoes every 500 years, a wholesale clean-up and re-structuring that makes way for a new era of faithfulness.

The last such event was the Protestant Reformation, an event which dramatically altered the Christian church and impacted all areas of human endeavor. If Tickle is correct, and I think she is, we are in the middle of another era of dramatic change in church and society. Every aspect of religious life is being questioned and much that no longer works is being discarded. New forms of worship are emerging. New ways of being community together are being imagined. New voices are being heard. Something new is struggling to be born and that new life holds great promise. It is unclear what future Christian communities will look like, but they will surely be different.

Established faith communities are hard-pressed to keep up with these developments. Changing the direction of an institution has been compared to turning an ocean liner- even a small shift in course takes a long time and a lot of steam to accomplish. Some have sailed on, waiting until the remaining passengers are heading for the lifeboats and only a skeleton crew remains before trying to change course. Some have made valiant attempts to turn but have failed to do so in time.

Let’s be honest- the Christian Church has let a lot of people down, left a lot of people out and used its power in inappropriate ways at times. It has forgotten that Jesus didn’t come to found a religion or establish an institution. Jesus came to inaugurate a new way of being that was so radical that people compared it to being born all over again. That way of being turned the institutions of Jesus’ day upside down. It challenged the established religious and political establishment, not through partisan slogans or armed force, but through service and self-sacrifice. Jesus practiced a radical hospitality, preferring the company of outcasts to insiders and welcoming all who sought to be in relationship with the Divine. His ministry was unencumbered by buildings or membership lists. His creed was simple- Love God with everything you’ve got and show same love for others that you show yourself.

It is a privilege to be living in this time because the failure of our institutions has created an opening for the new community that Jesus created. This community was life-giving, providing food for bodies and souls. It was a sanctuary; offering safe harbor to those in need and a launching pad for those who needed to serve. It spoke to the everyday needs of people in ways that held eternal truth. As the Community became the Church, it lost its way sometimes but God has always called it back.

Christians claim that Jesus’ resurrection means that death is not the end of life; it is merely a portal to new life. Death is painful, scary, and heart-wrenchingly sad. But it’s not the end. Individual churches may close, entire denominations may rise or fall, but the Way of Jesus will continue.

Nightmare on Deer Hiil

2010-11-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

On Halloween evening, Deer Hill Ave. becomes Halloween central for the entire city. I was told that the crowd of trick-or-treaters on our church's street can exceed 1500 kids. I didn't really believe it. I do now. We gave away all 800 of the glowsticks we had in less than 90 minutes.

We had angels and demons, ballerinas and ninjas, characters from Seussical and Disney, and many more. And we had FUN.

Most importantly, we helped keep the ghouls and goblins safe. Next year- we plan to have twice as many glowsticks and just as much fun. For more pics, check out First Church Danbury on Facebook.

The Church Needs More Drunks

2010-10-29T11:08:00.000-04:00

I had a conversation recently with someone shared with me that he is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I'll call him Bill- not his real name of course. Bill is a person who I respect, a person who has blessed hundreds of lives with caring and compassion. Knowing the stigma that is still attached to alcoholism, I was honored that Bill entrusted me with his testimony. And I was doubly honored that Bill respected me enough to engage in a little truth-telling. He said "When I joined Alcoholics Anonymous ten years ago, I found communion, support and friendship of a degree not often experienced in churches."

It hurts to hear this, especially since it is so often true. Churches are great at supporting those with cancer and other diseases of the body. We offer prayers, send meals, offer rides to treatment and reach out to families. But when the disease is alcoholism or other addiction, compassion and community are harder to find. Partly this is because social stigma still attaches to addictions. Despite what science has told us, addiction is still viewed as a character defect. And addictions are so difficult to treat- relapses are common and it is not uncommon to slip several times before being able to sustain sobriety for any length of time. They confront us with our own powerlessness. There is no tumor to remove, no cells to radiate, no medication that might offer a cure. There is only the daily struggle to get and stay sober.

I have tremendous respect for those in AA and its partner Twelve Step groups. They provide compassion and community that the Church would do well to imitate. It is not an easy, "nice" variety of community though. The "Friends of Bill", as they call themselves, are held accountable for being brutally honest about their own failings and need for forgiveness. There is no room for self-delusion in an AA meeting; everyone in the room has already tried the excuse you've got and knows it for a lie. But because each person has been where you are, the support and compassion AA members receive is authentic, deep and life-giving.

The church needs more drunks, more folks like the Friends of Bill. We need more people who can create and sustain communities where people can hear stories about how we all hit bottom and about how God is already there to meets us. Our faith communities need people who not only remember that Jesus was forever hanging out with the bottom-feeders and lowlifes, but rejoices that he did and tries to do the same. We need truth-tellers and people who will hold us accountable to the daily struggle to live free of our addictions- and we all have them. We need people in our community who have wrecked their lives and by God's grace have begun to rebuild them. We need them to tell us the truth, share their stories and show us how to walk with other "drunks" just like us.

If you are struggling with an addiction to alcohol, check out Alcoholics Anonymous. If someone you love is, check out out Al-Anon and Alateen. They have helped me. They have helped people I love. They can help you.

And don't be fooled by the "we-have-it-all-together" look of our church. We either are or have been just as screwed up as you are or have been. We need each other, and we need you.

A Prayer for the Politicians

2010-10-25T14:32:00.000-04:00

At long last the long, ugly season of political campaigning is almost over. By many accounts this has been one of the nastiest ones people can remember. With a few exceptions, political ads consist of tearing down the candidate's opponent and maligning his or her character. It has been a long time since a civil exchange of ideas about a candidate's policies and practices of governing has taken place.

I have never been someone who enjoyed politics, and our most recent foray into political activity didn't change this. Politics is an extraordinarily difficult realm for a person of faith to operate. Those who want to be successful in politics are faced with the need to decide how far they will compromise their commitments in one area in order to make a difference in another. They must operate in an environment that prefers simplistic sound bytes to well reasoned dialogue; one that rewards the convenient lie and punishes those who speak honestly. Nowhere is the temptation to sell one's soul stronger than in the halls of government.

I felt this temptation beckoning on more than one occasion while campaigning with my husband. I strongly believed that Kie would make an excellent Congressman, one who would remain committed to his principles and follow through on what he believed to be right. Plus, I'm crazy about the guy and wanted him to win because it was what he wanted. But there were times when I really wrestled with being the "good political wife" who keeps her mouth shut even when confronted with attitudes that I found intolerant at best. Good political wives do not call potential supporters the departing end of a horse! No matter how much she wants to.

Ever since Kie withdrew from the race and offered his endorsement to Sam Caligiuri, I have been praying for Sam. I feel a special responsibility to do this because Sam and I were classmates at Yale Divinity School. We didn't really know one another back then- I was a new mother commuting an hour each way to class and so spent little time on campus outside of class. But we walked the same halls, worshipped in the same chapel, and quenched a common spiritual thirst. So I feel the need to offer him the support of my prayers and, should he be elected, to hold him accountable for serving the common good the way our faith has taught us to do, even if it is costly.

The Realm of God transcends the boundaries of parties, districts and governments. Jesus expected his followers to remain loyal citizens of that Realm while residing in whatever place they found themselves. Other faith traditions offer similar admonitions to use one's power to serve the powerless. My prayer for all those who will be elected next week, and all those who already have been, is that they will find the courage to hold fast to the mandate of their true Constituent.

It better get better

2010-10-21T12:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, have we gotten it yet? Kids are dying, every day, because they're gay. And I can't stand it. I want to go out into the streets and scream NO! I want to go hug every young person who thinks they're unlovable because they are attracted to the people of the same sex- or both sexes. I want to drape the church in rainbow flags- enough to see them from anywhere in town. I want it to stop, the suicides and the cutting and the casual violence of name-calling.

Maybe we're starting to. During the past few weeks, there has been an amazing upsurge in efforts to reach out to gay youth. The "It Gets Better" project (www.youtube.com/user/itgetsbetterproject) which allows YouTube users to post supportive video clips has received nearly 1.7 million views as of today. People wore purple and changed their Facebook status to purple yesterday. Clergy signed petitions vowing to fight bullying this week. Perhaps the deaths of kids like Tyler and Trevor and Matthew were not in vain.

This is personal for me. One of my all-time favorite kids is bi-sexual. I've seen her struggle with self-doubt, self-hatred, ostracism and ignorance. I've held her while she cried over a friend who was kicked out of his house because he was gay. I've witnessed her frustration when Pomperaug High wouldn't allow the Gay Straight Alliance to make announcements about meetings and events. I cheered her on when she stood up to another student who was bullying her and her friends.

As a Mom, as a minister, as a human being, I want to say to every gay kid Yes! You are loved BECAUSE OF who you are. So don't give up. Fight with everything you've got because you are worth it. I'll be there for you.

It's better in Babylon

2010-10-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

Every once in awhile, one of the lectionary (the three year cycle of bible readings that many of us use for preaching) texts for the week  contains a reference to Babylon. This week's alternate first reading, Jeremiah 29:1-7, is one such reading. Jeremiah is writing at a time of great social, spiritual and economic dislocation. The educated and elite have been carted off as prisoners of war to Assyria's capitol city. Most of the pundits of the time are consoling people with assurances that the worst is over and things will be back to normal soon. But not Jeremiah. Jeremiah tells his audience to be prepared for a long stay- build houses, start families and become a contributing member of the community. Babylon is their new normal, he says, and the Babylonians their new neighbors.

I am amazed once again at the way these ancient words of scripture speak to our contemporary situation. We live in a time of economic, social and spiritual dislocation too. Like the people of Israel so long ago, we yearn for the "good old days". We have our own politicians and prophets blaming someone else for our woes and offering simple solutions that promise to bring back the glory days.

Jeremiah's words have particular relevance for us. Despite wishing it were otherwise, deep down we suspect that things won't go back to the way they were. Our neighborhoods will continue to change, our economy will continue to struggle, our hard choices will remain hard to make.

But here's something else Jeremiah says- It's better in Babylon. That's right- Babylon is the place to be because it's where God is most visibly at work. There's no need to try and reclaim some bygone era in order to be blessed. All that is necessary is be a blessing to your new neighbors, to "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf." (Jer. 29:7)

I'm really challenged by this, both personally and professionally. My church is located in the middle of a city that has become increasingly strange to those who grew up here. This is better? Almost everyone I know is struggling to make ends meet, and some are in serious difficulty.  It doesn't seem better to them. My congregation is smaller than it has been in a century and the need for our message is greater than it has been in just as long. To say that it is better to be here than to return to some previous era seems counter-intuitive at best and cruel at worst.

But here's what Jeremiah was trying to say.  When we are living in times when we are being stripped down to our skivvies, we are forced to confront that the gods we have been worshipping are impotent. They have not prevented us from facing hardship and are no protection when it comes. Like Elvis- they have left the building. And good riddance to them. Relying on money, power and privilege got in the way; it blinded us to the real suffering of our neighbors- and maybe even our own. God is not in any of the things that we look to for security. God is in the risky interaction with the folks in our new neighborhood; the ones who don't look or talk like us, the ones who worship differently or not all, the ones that don't even like us so much because we have been less than ideal neighbors ourselves, the ones who have been our enemies.

Imagine what our communities would be like if we took Jeremiah's words to heart. What would it be like if we figured out that our future is tied to that of our neighbors in Babylon? What does it mean to plant gardens and build houses and start families in this new place? And what is God up to here? We will only find out if we commit ourselves to a new way of life in this new place. And that is going to take what one writer called the spiritual discipline of stability- the courageous practice of making it work right where we are no matter what. It is going to mean taking Jesus' teachings about partnering with the poor, including the outcast and loving the enemy seriously. It is going to be hard work.

One other observation is worth making.  Babylon is in Iraq.  How would our foreign policy be carried out if we understood that our welfare is tied to theirs? Just wondering.

To my Muslim and Jewish neighbors- I'm sorry

2010-09-09T16:21:00.000-04:00

As I write this, my Muslim brothers and sisters are nearing the end of Ramadan and my Jewish friends are preparing for the High Holy Days. They are times for reflection, repentance and renewed commitment to the Truth as God has expressed it through their faith traditions. Unfortunately, they have become times for a handful of so-called Christians to engage in mindless rhetoric and hate-filled speech, especially when they fall close to 9/11 as they do this year.

A parishoner suggested to me the other day that, while our season of repentance isn't until Spring, we could use our own version of Yom Kippur this fall. I agree. The vast majority of Christians don't burn Korans, deface Temples or call down Divine wrath on those of other faiths. But too often we allow those strident voices to be the loudest, or the only, ones heard. And so...

I'm sorry. I can only claim to speak for myself, though I suspect I speak for many. I am sorry that your holy days are shadowed by intolerance and fear. I am sorry that the beautiful truths of your faith are perverted by radicals, and that the beautiful truths of my faith are also twisted to meet a hateful agenda. And I am sorry that we have allowed our witness to Jesus' Way of Peace to be overcome by nationalism and fear and prejudice and that we have confused the teachings of a human institution with those of the Holy One.

I ask your forgiveness and God's. And since to repent means to turn around, to act differently, I promise to do what I can to turn the tide toward peace. I honor those of you who have been my partners thus far and pray for the time when all people may seek the Holy in peace.

Confession of a reluctant Christian

2010-08-25T15:43:00.000-04:00

Since I'm just getting back from sabbatical, I'm just catching up with Anne Rice's decision to quit Christianity. She's tired, she says, of trying to reconcile her strongly held belief in a Jesus who invited those on the margins to become the core of his community with religious doctrines that exclude women, gays and non-Christians. She asserts that can no longer in good conscience support such a "quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group" (1).

And she's not alone. Deeply faithful people on both the right and the left are leaving churches at an alarming rate. Youth and young adults, as hungry as the rest of us for meaning and purpose, see only meaningless structures and wasted energy when they look into our congregations. In my own congregation there are folks struggling to make sense of the world and finding the theological cupboard increasingly bare. (For a painfully honest look at this phenomenon in the under-30 set, read unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.)

The first thing I want to say to this is- I'm sorry. On my own behalf and that of those I represent, the whole Christian family- I'm sorry. I have been slow to hear and slow to respond, in part because I too have been a reluctant Christian of late and I thought there was something wrong with me. It scared me to think that I have thrown my lot in with a group that sometimes can be "quarrelsome, hostile and disputatious" on the one hand and offer no more than mild protests to truly awful and damaging behavior on the other.

I have tried to model something better, something closer to the Way that Jesus taught. But I am fast coming to the conclusion that I have not done enough. I have not spoken out against so-called Christians who twist the teachings of Jesus to justify oppression, exclusion and violence as clearly as I should. I have not made a sufficiently compelling case for the Way of Jesus, a way of living that this is rich and life-giving and joyous. I have been a little too nice and a little too timid. And I have let the fear of criticism and failure influence my leadership. I want to be done with that now.

But unlike Anne Rice, I'm not leaving Christianity. When Jesus realized that his beloved faith community was being stifled by a religious structure that no longer worked, he challenged religious leaders to repent and do things differently. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm not leaving the community of the faithful followers of Jesus, but I am repenting and intend to act differently. I am leaving behind those doctrines and practices that slam the door in the face of those seeking Christ. I'm leaving what Christianity has become and joining those who are trying to create a new way, one that is rooted in the ways of Christ. Stay tuned.

1. http://www.facebook.com/#!/annericefanpage?ref=ts

Ice Cream Shop Theology

2010-07-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

As my daughter Rachel and I were going into one of our favorite ice cream shops, Peaches and Cream in Torrington, yesterday I noticed a small sign posted at the entrance. It read "Leave your guilt at the door".

This is a great motto for ice cream shops, and it's an even better one for faith communities. I was reminded of this as I was reading one of the books on my sabbatical reading list, "The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical" by Shane Claiborne. Claiborne is one of those uncomfortable-to-be-around people who take their Christian discipleship seriously. I have been humbled by the depth of his commitment to living a Christ-like life. As I was reading a chapter last night I was feeling guilty at my somewhat tepid faith.  I was telling God all this, trying not to whine or make excuses for myself, when the Spirit nudged me. "Remember the sign?" ( Really? I know God still gives signs- but an actual sign?)

Think about it though. Guilt may get us to do the right thing once in awhile, but in my experience it never inspires anything lasting or life-giving. Guilt is may get us started on a journey, but it makes a very poor travelling companion. Guilt is a nag, a party-pooper.  Guilt drains all the joy out of living. Every allegedly good thing I have ever begun out of guilt ended up being done poorly and abandoned quickly, usually with me feeling resentful and even more guilty.

Contrast that with what Jesus said and how he lived. Jesus told his friends he came to bring joy and abundant life for everyone. He compared living in God's realm to a party. Don't get me wrong; being in His presence could be profoundly uncomfortable.  Jesus' way of life brought the brokenness of the world into stark relief. His faithful action turned things on their heads and few people thanked Him for that- in fact He was killed for doing it. I can guarantee that following in His footsteps will give you blisters and shin splints.  But I think God honors that discomfort for its potential to motivate us to follow the Way of Christ a bit better.

It is really hard to follow Jesus.  We can't do it alone; we need to band together. Our faith communities should be like hiking clubs, dispensing water and band-aids and tips for a fruitful journey. They should be places where we can find a couple of friends to walk with us; places where we can learn from those who have stumbled down a few paths and discovered Jesus there ready to dust them off when they fall. And they should have signs at the entrance that read "Leave your guilt at the door."

So I am trying to give myself some slack. I'm on this journey and it will take some time, a lifetime in fact. But that's okay. As a sign at my other favorite ice cream place, Rich Farm in Oxford, says "Patience. In time the grass becomes ice cream."  Hmm...I have this sudden craving for Mocha Almond Fudge.

The Divine Chiropractor

2010-06-24T15:05:00.001-04:00

For the couple of weeks, I've been experiencing some pain in my hip. Rest and a healthy dose of Aleve weren't helping much, so I gave in made an appointment with a chiropractor.

As I was driving to his office this morning, I was thinking about our beloved Golden Retriever, Casey. Yesterday we received the news every pet owner dreads- our friend and companion has cancer. Casey is in a fair amount of pain which his pain meds decrease but don't take away completely. The time we have left with him is probably measured in weeks, although you never know with these things. We are, as you might expect, devastated. It is as if a piece of the foundation of lives has dropped away.

This was only my second visit to see my chiropractor, Dr. Charles Lerner http://www.drclerner.com/, though I've been a chiropractic patient before. Charles uses a different modality than my previous chiropractor, a table in which a section drops down while Charles applies pressure. I left feeling much better than when I arrived, but the adjustment process was hard for me on some level. So I was trying to puzzle out why. And then it came to me- there are currently several places in my life that used to be part of my spiritual foundation that have fallen away. And I don't like it one bit.

But this is what happens sometimes. Either something shifts suddenly or we come to a sudden awareness of a change that has been happening for some time but have not noticed. The bottom seems to have dropped out. To make matters more uncomfortable, these are often times when we feel the Divine hand exerting pressure on that very same spot. The Holy One does this, not to cause more pain but to realign our spiritual core so that we can stand straight and strong. The God who became incarnate knows all about pain- physical, emotional and spiritual. This is the Suffering God, the Healer who knows just how to push us when the bottom has fallen out to make the crooked straight.

Charles told me that it will take time and frequent readjustments for my body to become accustomed to being straight. And he assured me that he'd do everything in his power to accompany me as I learn to live "straight". Sounds like some things Jesus said.

Do you think God is a chiropractor?

The God who won't give up

2010-06-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

One of the things that I love about God's way with us is God's persistence. Is it spiritual deafness or just stubbornness that keeps us from hearing God's voice? I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had an experience of realizing that the very blessing I most need, whether it's a comforting message or a challenging invitation, has been right in front of me. But I've missed it. Multiple times. So the Holy One persists, speaking again, perhaps in another way, until the word I need to hear is heard.

I was talking to a teacher friend this morning about how I'm still finding it difficult to settle into a routine for my sabbatical. She replied that she feels the same way every summer. "It takes me weeks to get over the feeling I should be doing something. My time is so packed during the year with two jobs and home stuff that it actually makes me anxious to have free time." A few minutes later I was reading a daily e-devotional from the UCC. In today's selection, Anthony Robinson reflects on Luke 5:1-11, the passage in which Jesus directs the disciples, whose nets have come up empty all night, to fish on the other side. Robinson says:

Sometimes when our own notions of success come up empty or our own ideas of how things are supposed to be are completely spent and exhausted, it gives God a chance to show us another way, a different idea of success and a new vision of ourselves. Sometimes when we're at the end of our rope, there's a reason we're there.

I know the reasons I'm there. As I wrote in my last post, I need to learn that I don't have to have all the answers. It's okay to rely on others, in fact, that's the way it's supposed to be. God will let us exhaust ourselves; God will let us fish for our own sustenance until we see that our nets are empty and we are ready to listen. And then maybe we can hear Christ's call to deeper waters, places of abundance and unmerited grace which await us.

Thank you Persistent God, for not giving up on me.

Stole saga- part two

2010-06-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

Last fall I attended a workshop on Ayurveda, an ancient Eastern system of healing and wholeness. Ayurveda teaches that each person is one of three basic types, or doshas. According to the instructor, people with my dosha tend to think that we know better than others. We are analytical, perfectionist and persevere to the point of being stubborn. We may politely go along with the instructions given us, but secretly think we could improve on them.

I was reminded of this experience yesterday. After a few days in time-out, I pulled out my stole project and started up again. This week at my knitting group I was sharing (aka complaining) about my contrast problems. Lisa, one of the group members and a good friend, suggested I break off the yarn and start at another point in the color run to get the effect I was looking for. Now I'd already gotten this advice from someone else- the creator of the pattern no less, but I had decided that I could make it work and was going to persevere MY way. I'd carefully analyzed the yarn and it looked as if it should work.

Except it didn't. And I was frustrated. Plus, Lisa had given me that "Get a grip, Laura" look which I know means I've gone over the edge again. So I started again, got to the place where I couldn't tell one green from another and broke off the yarn. After removing a section of a few yards, I resumed knitting and viola!

As I look at what I've knit so far, I can't help but hear the Spirit saying "Relax. Trust the Creator of the pattern. Make small adjustments but don't move to make a change too quickly. Wait until the flow of the work becomes clear. Get a grip."

The saga of the stole

2010-06-10T10:03:00.000-04:00

I am now three weeks into my sabbatical, a time set apart for renewal, reflection and reading. Being a knitter, I wanted to include some “fiber reflection” in my sabbatical time, so decided to knit a stole as part of my time. I called upon my Ravelry (an online community of knitters and crafters) friends for suggestions. There weren’t many folks who had made one and the ones I saw weren’t quite “it”. Further searching through online patterns brought me to a pattern called Byzantine by Susan Pandorf (http://afewstitchesshort.blogspot.com). A mosaic pattern in multiple colors which look like stained glass crosses- it’s just what I was looking for.

But as the sages have said, we plan and the Holy One laughs. I’m on my fourth or fifth attempt and I’m still not happy. I initially purchased three skeins of Noro Silk Garden in a lovely green-blue-purple colorway, perfect for Advent, Creation and Ordinary time. But those lovely colors blended too well; the pattern was too muted. So I purchased another two skeins in a contrasting colorway. Knit it up and again- not quite right. It starts off great, but a few inches in the blues of one skein start blending with the greens of the other. So, for the fourth or fifth time, I’ve frogged it (that’s knitter-ese for “rip-it, rip-it”). I haven’t decided what to do next. Either I can use one multicolored skein with a solid white or black as the second color or start knitting from a different spot in one of the skeins and hope the colors match up better. I’m still deciding which.

But since the point of all this is to discern what God might have to teach me through this, I’ve been asking myself what I’m supposed to be learning. It appears that the learning will come through facing obstacles as it so often does.

The first hurdle was finding a pattern and some yarn. This wasn’t too hard. I mean having a justification for surfing knitting sites and shopping for yarn on work time? Not exactly tough duty. But once I had the plan and the means to carry it out, the problems began. It took some trial and error to get the thickness of material and size I wanted since the pattern was written for a wrap, not a liturgical stole. So the first lesson is- The pattern needs to be altered to fit the need.

That’s certainly the gist of the reading I’m doing. The overall focus of my sabbatical is the exploration of emerging theology and worship. I’ve selected six books to read, six churches with alternative or contemporary worship services to visit during my eight weeks. I also have the DVD of an Emergent Village conference I missed and some online sermons that I’ve been listening to. And I am increasingly convinced that the pattern of worship and congregational life which is present in the mainline church needs to be altered to fit the present need. More to the point for me, the pattern of worship and congregational life in my UCC faith community must be altered. The one we inherited, the one that served us well for the first 300+ years no longer does so. It’s not “thick” enough to hold up under the stresses of contemporary questions. There isn’t enough texture, enough complexity and nuance to our understandings about what it means to follow Christ. We need to re-tradition, reclaim the ancient Story for a new time.

I’m trying to work out what that means for my church. I hope my stole will teach me.

The Language of God

2010-04-19T11:35:00.002-04:00

Compassion, love, community, justice, equality. Members of the United Church of Christ believe that these are the most important words in God’s vocabulary. Always have been, always will be. And God continues to call those who would be faithful to the Divine to embody those words, to “speak” them through the way they live everyday. Compassion, love, community, justice, equality. These are the key words in the new “Language of God” social media ad campaign of the United Church of Christ. Released on April 16, the ad has been shared tens of thousands of times. If you’d like to view it, there is a link on First Church’s website www.firstchurchdanbury.org. Compassion is a deep awareness of another’s suffering coupled with the desire to alleviate that pain. Compassion is more than a sympathetic feeling; it is an active solidarity that enters the another’s experience. Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of God’s compassion. And we believe that those who follow Jesus must embody that his compassion. This is why so many UCC congregations host homeless shelters, soup kitchens and clothing ministries. God’s compassion is rooted in God’s unconditional love. No matter who we are, no matter where we are on life’s journey, no matter how badly we have messed up- God welcomes us because God is head over heels in love with us. Jesus commanded us to love God and one another the same way. Like compassion, this love involves our whole being- our bodies, minds and spirits. This is the love of Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day. It demands everything we have and provides everything we need. God’s love creates community. At the heart of the Christian understanding of the Trinity is the belief that God expresses Godself as a community which creates, sets free and empowers. Jesus welcomed all kinds of people to join this divine relationship and to be part of his ministry; so UCC churches welcome all kinds of people to be part of their community. We also believe that God can best be experienced when we are together. Our Congregational ancestors believed this so strongly that they placed ultimate decision-making authority in the hands of a congregation gathered to discern God’s leading. Contrary to the skewed viewpoint of one political commentator, God’s command to work for justice is at the heart of the scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, the bible’s harshest condemnation is reserved for those who use their resources to benefit themselves at the expense of others. Jesus taught his followers that they will be judged by their actions toward the vulnerable and the oppressed, the “least” of his brothers and sisters. The history of the UCC demonstrates its deep commitment to justice. Its members have played an important part in advocating for affordable health care, racial justice, marriage equality, abolition of the death penalty and workers’ rights. The United Church of Christ is committed to working for justice because we believe that all people are of equal value in God’s eyes. Differences in gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and ability do not lessen a person’s value. These differences may make a difference to us, but they make no difference to God. They are merely characteristics that add richness to the amazing tapestry that is God’s beloved human community. All faithful Christians take the bible seriously. Understanding what it says about who God is, who Jesus was and what that means for us as individuals and as a human community is of critical importance to all who follow Christ. Where we vary is in the extent to which we believe that God said everything there was to say in the words found there. In the United Church of Christ, we believe that God is still speaking. The bible remains the foundation of our faith. It is God’s first and best word. But we also believe that God spoke these words to a particular people and situation, so we take into consideration how these unique conditions shaped God’s message. We try to discern the universal themes which underlie each word of God and hold these principles to be binding upon us. The human condition is continually changing. We move closer to God in some ways and farther away in others. So God continues to be in dialogue with us. God continues to offer compassion, love, justice, equality and community to all creation by addressing new situations with new revelations. May we all learn to speak God’s language.

Dr Gundy in Haiti

2010-04-06T13:17:00.002-04:00

As many of you know, Dr. Jack Gundy, a much loved pediatrician from Danbury who recently retired, has a long association with Hopital Bon Samaritain (HBS)in Limbe, Haiti. HBS provides urgent, emergent and routine health care to the people in the area. Over 6000 people are seen on an outpatient basis for a variety of complaints. Separate clinics for tuberculosis, diabetes and cardiac care provide services to over 1500 people each year. HBS also runs a small orphanage for special needs children and has developed an extensive vaccination program. As a second year medical student, Dr. Jack spent time there and the hospital has been in his heart ever since. He brought the hospital to the attention of First Church as number of years ago, and we have sent financial support, clothing and small gifts regularly. Many of us are concerned about the ongoing needs of the Haitian people. Dr. Jack is acting on his concern. For the month of April, Dr. Jack will providing his services free of charge to the patients of HBS. You can read about his experiences at Jhaitig.wordpress.com . Special prayers will be offered for his ministry and that of HBS this Sunday, April 11. For more information about Hopital Bon Samaritain, see www.hbslimbe.org.

Progressive, Alternative, Committed to Service

2010-03-23T15:24:00.003-04:00

In preparation for my sabbatical this summer, I've been working with a leadership consultant. He's helping me refine my goals and plans for the eight weeks of "time apart" from First Church so that I make the best use of the time (and don't try to do too much!). In our conversation this afternoon, I was trying to describe the kind of church I think we need to become, and are in fact becoming. I've been trying to articulate this for some time, so it was with a sense of surprise and excitement that I heard myself describe a church that has:

a progressive theology: An understanding of God that draws on the rich traditions of the past and the new insights of contemporary experience. I have been entranced and energized by the intersection of quantum physics and ancient Christian understandings. I am humbled by what persons of faith from other countries and other religious traditions have taught me. A progressive theology assumes a "still speaking" Deity, One the continues to be revealed.
alternative forms of worship: The traditional form of Sunday morning worship at 10AM is deeply meaningful for some, but for others it is not. The kind of worship I envision invites deep engagement with the Holy through a variety of media. It is simpler in structure. It is open to the truth revealed in the Christian scripture and the sacred texts of other faiths. It embraces glimpses of the Divine in art, literature and music of many genres and eras. It strengthens the worshippers ability to practice faith in daily living.
a commitment to ministry with and in the community: At the core of our faith is Jesus' call to ministry in community, as a community. First Church has a long history of service to others which goes back at least as far as the Revolutionary War. The pastor and people of First Church have fought for our nation's freedom, the freedom of slaves, the rights of minorities and the inclusion of the marginalized. We have learned that the homeless, the poor and the excluded have much to teach us, and increasingly we are seeking to be partners rather than benefactors as a result.

There are some churches in this area whose theology is progressive. There are some who have non-traditional forms of worship. There are some that are deeply committed to the needs of the community. But to my knowledge a faith community that embodies all three does not exist in the Greater Danbury area. Yet.

I strongly believe that we need a church with a progressive theology, which worships in ways that draw upon and nurture faithful living in daily life, and which embodies its faith in service. During my sabbatical I'll be delving into ways to help First Church become just that.

God is NOT angry with Haiti

2010-01-14T16:42:00.002-05:00

Like many people of faith, I was outraged when I heard the words of Pat Robertson, who claims that the earthquake in Haiti is the result of God's wrath at a nation that has"made a pact with the devil". I'm not sure what Mr. Robertson meant by that, and frankly, it doesn't matter. The God I know- the One who sent a Beloved Son to suffer alongside the suffering, a Healer to bind up the wounds of the broken and mend the tears in the fabric of society, a Savior to redeem all creation; is not a God of vengeance. The God that Jesus knew is a God of compassion and infinite mercy, a God who stands with those in need even if they don't "deserve it". I believe that the heart of God is broken with sorrow at Haiti's devastation. Even before this latest tragedy, the fate of the Haitian people was dire- sources say that 80% of the Haitian population was already living in desperate poverty. The causes of this poverty are both natural and man-made as they so often are. No one knows why this further hardship has come to Haiti, but we can be sure that God is already present with the people of that land. First Church has supported the work of Hopital Bon Samaritain (HBS) in Limbe, Haiti for several years. HBS provides outpatient care to 6000 patients each month with conditions ranging from TB to diabetes. HBS also runs a small inpatient facility for surgeries, the delivery of infants and general medical care. In addition, HBS houses 25 children with disabilities who have been abandoned by their parents. We are happy to report that none of the children or staff of HBS were injured in the earthquake, though many lost loved ones. The buildings were also spared, which will enable HBS to care for the hundreds of people who are fleeing Port Au Prince for the countryside. There are many organizations offering help in the aftermath of the earthquake. Among the best of them is Church World Service, an interfaith organization which provides emergency relief to people of all nations and faiths. Over 83% of every dollar given to Church World Service is used for direct assistance to those in need. Information about how to donate through CWS can be found at their website www.churchworldservice.org. In the months to come, I hope that relief efforts will not stop at emergency aid. The world community must help Haiti, and nations like it, to address the causes of poverty and suffering in their nation. We must stand with them, rebuild with them, offer them our support and expertise, pray for them and ask their prayers for us. May God be the solid rock under their feet. May Christ be their companion in these days of trouble. May the Spirit give them courage and peace. Amen

The Days are getting longer

2009-12-20T15:23:00.002-05:00

Every year, just after the winter solstice, my father-in-law would announce "The days are getting longer!" Just as the weather was getting cold and the effect of Daylight Savings Time became most obvious, Dad would remind us of this meteorological fact with a twinkle in his eye). In recent years, my daughters would try to beat Papa to the punch and tell him before he could tell them. Dad died this past January, and indeed the days do seem to be a little longer and darker without him. I think of him often, his corny jokes and his unconditional love which he showed with a typical Scandanavian reserve. He never made a big fuss about it, but he was always there: at dance recitals, ball games, school plays. He came to every church I ever preached in at least once, even if it took an hour to drive there. His biggest regret was that arthritis and poor vision robbed him of the ability to be helpful to his family and friends. My younger daughter, Rachel, was away at school when we buried her Papa's ashes on Veterans Day so I took her to visit his gravesite this past week. We were both surprised at how fresh our grief still is. "I didn't think it would be so hard, Mom" Rachel said through her tears. Neither did I. Nor did I expect my desire to bend down to kiss the top of his headstone the way I used to kiss the top of his head. If Dad were still here, he would probably remind me that the days are getting longer; not because time is passing slowly but because from December 21 each day iti s light just a little longer. The progress of the dark season is turning. The Light has come and the Darkness will not overcome it. Hey Dad! Guess what...