Friday, December 14, 2012

Prayer for 12/14/12

http://www.freepik.com/free-photo/burning-candle-flame-black-background-candlelight_216349.htm
From: http://www.freepik.com

Dear God:

Today 
my heart feels turned 

inside 

out

and

I don’t know 

what 

to 

say.

...

(Fix this.
Fix us.)

...

Give us the courage,
the hope,
the love,
and the strength 
to change this kind of

FEROCIOUS

normality.

...

Amen.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Tuesday Prayer for 11/27/12


(inspired by Jeremiah 33:14-16)

One:  Do we dare to hope?
Many:  Do we dare to hope for an unchained, deep justice that seeks renewal instead of revenge;
One:  That seeks healing instead of harm;
Many: That seeks peace instead of punishment?
(From http://addictionandrecoverynews.wordpress.com/)
One: Do we dare hope for for an unchained, expanding peace that seeks opportunity instead of oppression;
Many: That seeks courage instead of compliance;
One: That seeks mutual accountability instead of mutually assured destruction?
(From http://lespoir-hope.blogspot.com/)
Many: Do we dare hope for an unchained, liberated love that seeks truth instead of terror;
One:  That seeks generosity instead of greed;
Many: That seeks vulnerability instead of vengeance?
(From http://leadfeet.com/)
One:  Do we dare to hope?
Many:  Do we dare to hope?
One: Where are those places in the world we need to hopefully pray for justice, peace and love?
Many: (Whisper the name of those places that rise in your heart)
(From http://whenlightenters.wordpress.com/)
One:  Do we dare to hope?
Many: Amen

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Tuesday Prayer 11/13/12: A Call to Worship


Call to Worship:

One: Shhhhhhhhhh...

Many: (Silence)

One: Shhhhhhhhhh...

Many: (Silence)

One:  (Quietly) God fills every nook and cranny of this place; every pew, every corner...

Many: (Quietly) ... every broken heart, every healing soul...

One: (Quietly) If you listen carefully, you can hear Her...

Many: (Quietly but growing louder) God is still speaking and crying and healing and loving and giggling and dancing and playing and calling...

One: (in full voice) ...and insisting on works of peace; and insisting on just relationships with the earth; and calling for prophets and activists...

Many:  (in normal voice) ...and teachers and healers and poets and preachers and students and leaders and care-givers and visionaries...

One:  God is calling us - yes, us - from every nook and cranny of this place; every pew, every corner...

Many: (Quietly) ... every broken heart, every healing soul...


One: Shhhhhhhhhh...

Many: (Silence)

One: Shhhhhhhhhh...

Many: (Silence)

All: (Whispered) Amen.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Marriage Equality in Washington State!


Dear sisters and brothers!

Hallelujah!

I can't stop smiling.  I can barely believe its true.  Yesterday, Washington State voted to affirm marriage equality which means that, starting today, gay and lesbian couples who chose to marry have the same access to the privileges and protections that come with state law as do straight couples.  What an amazing, amazing day!  

You all did this.  In Washington State, we built the largest religious coalition of marriage equality supporters ever.  The number of public statements – from wearing a button, to phone banking, to advertising, to preaching, to organizing concerts – all added up.  The monies and time you shared all added up.  This is a beautiful day; an amazing day!  We have come so far…

…and, of course, we still have a ways to go.  Celebrate today but plan on organizing tomorrow.  Approving 74 is an incredible continuation of victories in other parts of the country and world and there is still more to do.  Other states are going to consider similar laws and they'll need our support.  Other religious communities are going to form in other places and, in the same way many of them supported this effort with time and finances, we'll need to support them, as well.  Eventually, the country as a whole will be ready to support marriage equality or, by court order, recognize marriages of same gender couples.  Our experience can help our sisters in brothers within other areas and other religious traditions find their voice in the same way we found ours.

But today, I'm going to just keep grinning.  Sometime, in the not too distant future, many of us clergy are going to have that same grin on our face as we sign some certain marriage licenses…  

Thanks be to God!

Peace.
Mike

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Best prayer I know of for days like today and the days to come...

Here is the original version of the Reinhold Niebuhr prayer that eventually evolved in to the Serenity Prayer:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Tuesday Prayer: After the Storm


(Inspired by Frankenstorm and Ruth 1:1-18)

One: Naomi was a refugee from a natural disaster.  Famine was facing Judah and, in order to save their family, Naomi and her husband made the decision to move their family to Moab.  Not long after they arrived Ruth’s husband died and she was left to hold the family together.  Eventually her sons married two women from Moab; one named Orpah and the Ruth.  For ten years, they lived together as a family.  Tragedy struck again when both her sons died.  In that place and time, when the men of a household died, the women of the home had to turn to their families to help support them.  Orpah, at the encouragement of Naomi, reluctantly returned to her family but Ruth refused to leave Naomi’s side saying:
Many: Where you go, I will go.  Where you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people and your God my God.
One:  In these days of disaster and tragedy, we are reminded of our connections to people all around the world. 
Many: May we move beyond concern to compassion; from pity to prayer; from silence to solidarity; from depression to determination.  May the lines between us become so frequently crossed that those lines disappear. 
One: May our commitment to being in right relationship with all God’s people be renewed today as we covenant to build relationships of mutuality with each other; committing to change our perspectives and recognizing that life and soul threatening problems for any, are life and soul threatening problems for all.
Many: Let us make a new commitment.  Let us name a new reality we will work to make real.
One: To all those effected by storm and flood may we say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One:  To all those tortured by famine and disease may we say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One:  To all those impacted by war and violence may we say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: To all those oppressed by racism, heterosexism, classism, sexism, ableism, ageism and all other forms of oppression may we say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: To all those imprisoned by addiction and self-destructive behavior may we say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One:  When we find ourselves effected by storm and flood may we be open to those who say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: When we are the one’s tortured by famine and disease may we be recognize that others have more then they need and celebrate when they say:
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: When we are the one’s impacted by war and violence may we have the vision to recognize that some of those who have the call and gifts to be peacemakers may say:
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: When we are the ones oppressed by racism, heterosexism, classism, sexism, ableism, ageism and other forms of oppression may we hold out both healthy caution and robust hope to those who say;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: When we are the ones imprisoned by addiction and self-destructive behavior may we hear the prison cell creak open when these words of love are spoken;
Many:  Your people shall be my people.
One: Dear God, we live on this planet together.  May we do what we can to make it safe for each other here.  May our hearts be warmed by the love we share and the earth cooled by our responsible use of resources.  This is the home we share.  May we speak these words to each other and recognize their deepest meaning as a description of our reality.
Many: Where you go, I will go.  Where you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people and your God my God.
One:  May it be so.
All: Amen.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

In Context...


There are moments when it feels like nothing is ever going to get better.  We get swept under by news about war, economic collapse or some other human atrocity that dulls our spirit and makes us want to pull back from humanity for a while.  Some days, every story seems like a sad story with a bad ending.  Being in the midst of election and voting season rarely helps lift a mood like this.  Apathy can sometimes seem like a better choice than having one’s heart broken again and again and again.  We’re not the first generation to have to deal with this problem.  We won’t be the last.

It’s easy to forget that we have some choices in all of this.  It’s easy to forget that we can choose to participate in cycles of peacemaking.  It’s easy to forget that we can choose to make things better for others and ourselves.  It’s easy to forget that we can choose to speak out, act up and get involved in life and the living of it in a way that can reverse what feels like tides of hopeless inevitability.  It’s easy to forget that we can choose love and we can choose truth and that these forces will save our souls and our lives. 

We can choose to change things.  We are not bound to traditional values, behavior and beliefs as though something being “traditional” somehow naturally makes it “good.”  Slavery is traditional in many places.  The subjugation of women is, too.  The fact these practices are traditional do not make them good.  We can, have, and must continue to chose differently.

When we do, I believe the Spirit moves between us and among us and then moves us along.  We are, after all, not simply passive victims of an unfolding destiny but participate in in the creation of history.  We participate in the creation of hope.  We participate in the creation of justice.  When we participate in these things, we find ourselves among a great cloud of witness.  We are together with those who sought to end slavery.  We are together with those who helped organize oppressed workers.  We are together with those who feed those without food and work to make sure that others never have to hungry, again.  We look all around us and in the midst of the multitude we see Jesus and Gandhi and Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King and John Brown and Mother Jones and Cesar Chavez and, and, and…  We join with a much larger movement that helps drive the positive moving of peoples and systems; occasional resistance to governments and companies; and the over turning of traditions and practices that have had their cruelty exposed.

If Washington State votes in favor of marriage equality this month by approving Referendum 74, I really do believe that cloud of witnesses will clap and cheer and that the Spirit will dance.  I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to participate in the creation of this moment; this celebration of history, hope and justice; this celebration of life; this celebration of love.


Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Growl: Tuesday Prayer for 10-9-12


Inspired by Mark 10:17-27

Dear God of the broken down and the broken hearted;
God of the greedy affluent addicted to their wealth;
God of the desperate impoverished with their inwardly turned anger;

We
are
stuck.

The “some things” that aren’t quite right somehow feel like “all things.”
There are no small fixes...

...and, in the meantime, bellies

Growl.

When we are honest, we laugh nervously and shake our heads.
This all seems so fragile.
We spend money like we’re dipping our toe in cold water until we just dive in;
A little more debt.

Chains made of gold are still chains.

Tell us what to do.
Tell us what to do.

Amen.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Dizzy, woozy and a wee bit nauseous (Thursday post for 9/6/2012)


OK, I know "Vertigo" is an old movie but it’s still brilliant.  IMDB describes the movie like this:
“A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's much-younger wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.”

You can imagine all the places it might go.  Add to this the fact that Alfred Hitchcock directed this film and, as you can imagine, he took on the challenge to make the feeling of vertigo come alive on the screen.  I get a little dizzy just thinking about it.

That’s really what makes the film so darn brilliant in the first place.  I was caught off guard the first time I saw the effect and, even now, knowing what next scene is coming doesn’t lessen it at all.  In fact, just anticipating the coming scene makes me a little dizzy, woozy and a wee bit nauseous.

Voting season does the same for me.  Things get kinda weird.  Up becomes down and down becomes up and I feel a dizzy, woozy and wee bit nauseous.  It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I see the same thing unfold because even the anticipation of it all makes me ill. 

Granted, there are some ways it seems as though it’s gotten worse.  In past years, it seemed as though there was at least the illusion of a cyclic work period and campaign season.  These days, it seems as though the campaign never really stops.  The majority of Democrats and Republicans are spending more and more time raising money for the next election and less and less time governing.  It seems as though their positions are rarely chosen with any sense of integrity and passion anymore, but almost solely based on what will get them elected to office once again.  It seems as though, more and more, the issues many politicians purport to run on get set aside when they are faced with the manipulative reality of our current “democracy” and the growing power of the plutocracy. 

And the lying...  It seems as though any lie, when enough money gets put behind it, can be made to sound like a truth.  Although there are some individual exceptions, our news sources have been bought and sold  and are complicit; if not directly then by increasingly market driven, selective, intentional incompetence.  As media becomes an increasingly consumer driven enterprise, their task is not to tell the truth but simply draw more consumers to their product.  False “debaters” on different topics are brought in like professional, entertaining wrestlers and the truth is determined not on the quality of the facts presented but the quality and flash of the debating method.

And so we’re dizzy, woozy and a wee bit nauseous...

In such a time as this, I am not always sure what the role of the church is or even should be.  I sympathize with those who want to place some sort of spiritual bulwark around the church and have it only be a place of sanctuary.  I want a place of quiet and comfort, too.   I, too, want a separate place away from the noise of commercialism, false nationalism, debate and rancor.  I, too, want a place where all I focus on are the spiritual practices and a deeper understanding of scripture.

Granted, there’s really nothing in the bible or Christian history that suggests this should be the role of a Christian community.  These are the kind of things we need to work on at home and in smaller communities of study and practice.  The Epistles, after all, aren’t as much a description of the ideal community as much as an attempt to help clean up the messiness of these communities.  There are all kinds of ways the church can drive you to prayer.

Christian community is, and should be, hard and, frankly, a little crazy making.  We need to have communities we can bring our full selves to.  These cannot be communities of perfection because, well, we are there.  We need communities where people can ask for prayers for a dying friend in one breath and express their opinion about an issue that concerns them in the next.  We need communities where people will pray for that dying friend and disagree with that sister or brother’s opinion, too.  We need communities with preaching that invokes God’s presence and provokes our spirits.  We need communities that both feed the poor and ask why the poor are hungry.  We need communities that don’t just call us to pray but communities that are sometimes so difficult to deal with that they make us need to pray.  I’d go as far as to say that if the only thing someone has received from their church over the last year is comfort and affirmation, something is wrong.

This might be that place where the church has something to offer.  Everything else in the world seems to be breaking us down in to easily marketable groups for this item or that; this idea or that; this vote or that.  We have been divided in to allies and enemies in a constant state of war where there is a clear winner or loser and those that lose are forced to wander. 

Yes, the church has been infected with this thinking, too.  In too many cases, we have traded faithful engagement, courage, persistence, justice and love for intentional disengagement, protectionism, calculated indifference, selfishness and self-righteous apathy. 

Shake. 
It. 
Off.

Regardless of what some may say (and, I confess, I have said and thought) we are not so far gone that we can’t find our way forward (not back) to a better way.  We can find our way forward to a community whose gifts are challenges.  We can find our way forward to a community that is not grounded in the shallow waters of conformity but that sails on deep, sometime churning, water deepened by struggle.  We can find our way forward to a community in which the pain and vulnerability of another is integrated as the community’s pain and vulnerability instead of something that the community treats like an infection.  We can find our way to a community where the justice demanding word sometimes disturbs the prayerful word and where prayerful words sometime become those that demand justice.  We can find our way forward to a community in which conflict is a vocational reality and an opportunity to practice love.  So, as I try and figure what our role is in these times that make us all dizzy, woozy and a wee bit nauseous our role is not to try and seek out a role but to be who we’re called to be. 

We get used.  We get used, a lot.  We get used by the political market and then say “Thanks” for the attention; confusing this attention with relevance. 

We are more than this.  We can be more than this.  We need to be more than this.