The Pharisees WERE the good guys UNTIL...

Today I am battling with significance.  Sounds like a weird thing to battle, doesn't it?  It's a battle that I have fought for quite a while.  I want my life to count, I guess.  How?  That's the question.  When I was in high school significance meant involvement, involvement meant a life full of adventure and joy.  The days were significant for this athlete who loved people.  In college significance took great turn when I decided not to continue playing basketball and found myself wondering what God had in mind for my life.  

Then ministry meant significance.  Even the decision and the process led to days of intense journeying with God, soul-searching, and deep discussions with faithful companions.  Anyone who has taken the steps toward ordination in the UMC will know that as you kneel before the Bishop and receive the call to "take thou authority" and enter into full-time, fully-credentialed ministry in the UMC, you really feel like you've accomplished something.  I will always remember that day and the people with whom I shared it.  

A life of local church ministry can give the days a true significance.  It can be an adventure in building relationships with people you never knew you'd meet.  It can mean powerful moments filled with the Holy Spirit, loving Sacred words shared in what could be awkward moments.  

Let me be clear that I'm not speaking of the celebrity type of significance.  I'm not longing to be the next television preacher or anything...(though I do think I'd do pretty well on Survivor).  I am longing to be part of God's work and movement in the world and to know that I've done all I can to leave the world a more loving place than I found it.  I am seriously beginning to wonder if this can happen within the structure and organization of the church.  

In the wake of all of these UMC discussions I have really started to question my life-decisions thus far.  I do not question that God can use my life to bring glory to God's name, or that I have done my best to be faithful to my calling.  It is just that so often life in the church feels quite insignificant.  Ministry can quickly become more about pleasing people and keeping up numbers than it is about the significant call God has placed on all of our lives.    We're called to "go" and share and be like candles that light up the darkness.  We are called to love our neighbors as we would like to be loved.  We are called to be about bringing justice.      

The Methodists began as a movement.  What happens when a movement becomes a "church" and no longer appears to be moving?  What happens when young pastors who have dedicated their lives to this ministry begin to wonder if this is really what God had in mind? We are so caught up in maintaining the "rules" of who is "in" and who's "out" that we sit still. When everyone's more concerned about being right nothing can happen.  (Just look at the Govt.)

I was thinking about the Pharisees today.  I was leading a study on John a while back when we got to joking about how no matter what we read it always ended with the Pharisees showing up and turning things a negative direction.  Jesus would do something amazing...the Pharisees would show up and be angry.  Jesus would heal in a miraculous way...and the Pharisees would miss the miracle because it was the Sabbath.   The Pharisees had always been the good guys.  They knew the rules and they did their best to get the people to stay within the boundaries of faith.  They were good until something better came along...the one who cared more for the person than for the rules.  The Christ, who broke down all social barriers in order that all people know the love of God, the power of forgiveness, and the way to eternal life.  Jesus didn't ask for credentials first and then work, he allowed the Spirit to work through him for all.  

People were excited about Jesus...they're not so excited about the church.  People were willing to die for their faith...we fight about the color of the carpet and the music choices on Sundays.  Significance comes in moving with the Spirit, responding to God's call and Jesus's example.  

I want to be significant.

Doing the Splits.

Have you ever tried to convince someone that loves the King James version of the Bible that it's not really the most accurate translation?  Show them an NIV, or heaven-forbid, a copy of The Message and you might be facing an exorcism.  It's like trying to get the guy with the bullhorn to put it down.  You know that guy, right?  We have one of him at the Cherry Festival. He has signs and hands out tracts and everything.  He yells at people to make sure they get scared of hell enough to believe in Jesus.  You can't reason with this guy.  He won't listen because he KNOWS he is right....after all he's convicted by the Holy Spirit.  (If you've never seen the Nooma film "Bullhorn" you should watch it).


In thinking so much about the UMC and recent events and conversations, along with my presence at the Conference Leadership team meeting for W. MI today I continue to wonder if a denominational split is looming.  There is so much fear around this idea, that splitting would cause such a disruption and be so painful to the overall UMC.  I'm starting to wonder if a split would actually allow both parties to do things much more quickly.  Otherwise we're just trying to convince one another that the Holy Spirit has empowered us with the "right" solution, "right" way of thinking, a special understanding or conviction of the definitions and ranking of sin, and God's sheer disappointment at those who disagree with us.  


I am no Wesleyan scholar but I do have a basic understanding of John's desire to change the way things were back in the Anglican Church.  He wanted the Gospel to be practical and available to everyone.  It wasn't about creating a new establishment or power structure.  It was about a movement.  It wasn't about a heirarchical model of leadership, it was about a guy and his buddies who rode horses and preached outside about the power of grace.  (No bullhorn necessary).


I vote that we start a new movement.  No one needs to be in charge.  This movement focuses on loving people into a relatinoship with Christ.  It involves doing our best to meet people's deepest longings and needs.  It doesn't involve building huge structures or polishing our shoes.  It's about getting serious about movement...


I think we could call this the rUMC....UMC Revised.


Who's in?

Getting to the HEART of the matter...

I began my morning today by fielding a phone call from one of my favorite people, the Lutheran pastor from Lake Ann.  I am blessed to share this community with Pastor Justin and he is often a friend with whom I can discuss theology and church life.  Our call this morning was two-fold....1st, Justin needed to use the gym for his son's baseball practice....and 2nd, he wanted to know what is going on in UMC-land.  I told him that today was going to be an important day for the UMC and a bit about the nature of the discussions to take place.  His reply was, "We [ELCA] did it.  We lost congregations...but now we are moving along."  He didn't actually say that the decision to ordain all people called to ministry (regardless of their sexual orientation) was painless or helpful, but he did feel confident that the ministry of the ELCA has only gotten stronger.  Then he reminded me that the UMC and the ELCA are in full-Communion, which means that we can pair up for worship services and Holy Communion.  In fact, we've done this many times when our two congregations worship together.  This seems an interesting option considering votes taken today affirming the current wording in our Book of Discipline (our rule book) that clearly states homosexuality is a practice incompatible with Christian teaching.  

I want to be clear here...I'm not writing this to get your opinion on the issue of homosexuality/clergy/ordination/or Scripture.  This is not a fight I even have the stomach for tonight.  I'm writing because I have some serious questions about what lies at the root of this decision today.  Definitions of sin aside...what lies underneath these decisions?

If you've followed the buzz today you may have heard a response from our Grand Rapids DS.  After having experienced what took place this morning she spoke of her sorrow on behalf of the young people for whom inclusion is not even a question, or an issue.  This is my paraphrase, and my interpretation anyway.  

Ever since I became an official pastor in the UMC I have repeatedly heard, "We need more young people....we need more young pastors....what are you doing to grow the number of youth in your church..."  Too many times to count I have been able to stand as I hear "If you're in this room and you're under the age of 40 please stand......"  We are in real trouble when we look around and realize that before long we aren't going to have enough pastors to fill churches.  We are in even more trouble when we examine the downward slide of  young folks attendance and participation in the UMC.  

Is our stance on homosexuality what is causing our slow (and painful death?)  Are young people staying away because we just can't get our minds wrapped around the idea that sexual preference does not define a human being?  I was asked earlier tonight (thank you Zach) some other tough questions.  How would you answer these in light of recent General Conference events?

• From your point of view, what motivation might a young to-be clergy person have to progress through the UMC's extensive educational and denominational hoops if there is no guarantee of a job, and policy keeping them from fully expressing their ministry of inclusiveness and love?

• What reason might you suggest for other non-clergy ministry professionals (who have fewer stakes) to stay with the UMC
long-term if the denomination is clearly set decade after decade against inclusive loving ministry?

These questions are worthy of discussion.  What is at the heart of this issue...what are the consequences?  Immediately following the release of this information many of the seminary students...soon to be future UMC pastors had posts about getting out now, switching denominations...giving up on a system that seems unaffected by voices crying out in the wilderness.  
My stance on these issues continues to be transformed as God continues to work within me.  I serve a church where the decisions made today will be celebrated and find myself in the mystery of ministry as the Holy Spirit challenges us to do ministry together.  More and more I see how the political realm of the world is only mirrored in the politics of the denomination I  have chosen to serve.  I wasn't naive enough to think that disagreement wouldn't exist...but I do believe that no matter what the issue, we as Christians are called to respond with an attitude of love and respect.  Perhaps the most detrimental thing that has occurred (in my reading) at General Conference is the ability for those who serve God to speak without these two foundations of Truth.
Tonight I don't know what to think.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve God here in Lake Ann.  I'm grateful for some amazing, intelligent colleagues.  I'm grateful that I'm not responsible for judging anyone else's behavior, sin, or place in God's Kingdom.  My heart hurts however, for those who feel they do not have a place in a church/movement that began for that very reason, to spread the Gospel to all people.