Tag Archives: stewardship

A Summer of Giving: Random Acts of Kindness

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I promised I would write a few essays about our summer season of giving, and I hope this is simply the first thought I will share! I just returned from a few days away on silent retreat, followed by a few days of vacation. We had the opportunity to spend a few days in the amazing city of Chicago…and it was sunny and in the 70’s the entire trip, pretty amazing for late June…a random act of kindness from God, no doubt! We had many great moments in the Windy City, including one evening of dinner at a delicious sushi restaurant (Yuzu Sushi if you’re in the neighborhood). While eating an excellent dinner, two of Chicago’s finest walked in to the restaurant and eventually were seated several tables away from us. The police officers were taking a mid-shift dinner break, and remembering the many challenges of serving their community, especially in the summer, and remembering our theme of “A Summer of Giving,” I asked our server if it would be possible to pay for the officers’ dinner and also not be identified as doing so. She was very happy to help us give this gift to the officers and it was fun for us to watch them leave the restaurant, glancing around, wondering who kindly provided them dinner. The chef came by and thanked us, and told us the police officers were very thankful too. Our server was so happy to be part of the random act of kindness that she gave us a special dessert, on the house…her random act of kindness to us!

After returning from vacation, I saw an interesting news piece on the evening news – a man who has been cutting people’s lawns throughout the United States. He has successfully helped people in all 50 states! Now, that’s an incredible series of acts of kindness!! If you would like to see the video of his story, click this link: Video Story.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and I hope you have been inspired to participate in our “Summer of Giving.” I know you will have fun sharing your time and gifts with others and will enjoy sharing your stories just as much!

Wolves, Rivers, and changing God’s World

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Pentecost 19A (Matthew 22:15-22)  10/19/2014

“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (Matt 22:17), said the disciples of the Pharisees, along with the Herodians, to Jesus as they stood in the temple. An interesting question posed by an interesting group of people; a strange group of “friends” you might say. The Pharisees were more concerned with religious “correctness” and righteousness, while the Herodians, supporters of the royal family of Herod, would have been more concerned with political power. But these strange friends found common ground in their challenge to Jesus…a question that by its very nature had a lose-lose response: if you suggest paying tax to the emperor, you are a friend of Caesar and the Roman empire which was set against the Jewish people; and if you suggest withholding your tax payment, well you are a religious zealot and a dangerous insurrectionist. These Jewish authorities had been listening to Jesus teach the crowd about the kingdom of God and they seem to have had enough of his rhetoric…they were determined to entrap him with a unanswerable question. The problem for the Jewish authorities, however, was that the question is only a trap if you think in black and white, right and wrong: the Roman empire or the kingdom of God, devotion to my worldly life and its success or devotion to God and all that God invites us to be. In this black and white world, the question posed to Jesus was fraught with challenges beyond belief! Jesus’ response to their tricky question might appear black and white in our hearing: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matt 22:21b) But Jesus does not live in this black and white, earthly or divine world; Jesus lives in the fullness and abundance of God’s creation, and his response amazed the authorities and sent them away as they considered all that was given to them from God; and how their lives would change if they listened to Jesus. Continue reading →

A Holy Patience

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Pentecost 18A (Exodus 32:1-14)  10/12/2014

Several years ago I was on a business trip to Cardiff, Wales (this occurred many years ago, in a land without smartphones and GPS…imagine that?). I had been to Cardiff a few times before this trip, but always a short trip during the middle of the week. This time around I arrived on Saturday and had a good part of the weekend free before starting work on Monday. I thought this would be a great chance to see Llandaff Cathedral, the cathedral church of the area and a place that has been holy Christian ground since the early sixth century. Sunday was a beautiful fall day and I decided to set out right after lunch. I decided it might be nice to walk to the cathedral on this beautiful day, so I asked the man at the front desk if the cathedral was close by…”yes, the cathedral is just down the road,” was the cheerful reply. Wonderful, a nice walk to the cathedral! My only pair of shoes were leather dress shoes, but the nice man at the front desk said the cathedral was “just down the road,” so I was sure I would be just fine. I walked through the city center and began walking down a road that led to a large park. After about 20 minutes of walking, with no cathedral spire looming in the near distance, I decided to ask a passerby if I was headed in the right direction; “Oh yes, the cathedral is just down the road,” pointing in the general direction I was headed. As I continued on my pilgrimage, I must admit I began to think more about a taxi than the beautiful cathedral that was promised to be “just down the road.” I was also beginning to think my definition of “just down the road” was significantly different than the nice Welsh people I had met along the way. After nearly three miles of walking, I finally passed through a clearing and the grand walls of the cathedral stood just beyond a cluster of trees, quietly sitting in a little neighborhood of its own. A beautiful spot for a cathedral church nearly 1000 years old, but not a good place for finding a lift home! My cathedral pilgrimage had just started and I found that I was already a bit confused, tired, and short of patience from the long road traveled. Continue reading →

No worries, just be a Witness!

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Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after the Ascension) (Acts 1:6-14)  6/01/2014

“As they were watching, Jesus was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven?'” (Acts 1:9-11) These three short verses of Scripture from the Book of Acts are among my favorite verses in the Bible, for many reasons. Just prior to this description of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, we are told of the many post-resurrection appearances of Jesus and the final lessons he hoped to give to his followers, teaching them how to spread the Good News of Christ. But now the time has come for Jesus to leave them, and leave them he does…and they are left standing by themselves, filled with awe and more than just a little worry in their hearts. Suddenly, two heavenly beings burst into this dramatic moment with a question: “Why are you standing there looking up to heaven?” I really love this question because it is so simple, yet so challenging at the same time. I feel some kinship with the disciples as they gaze to the heavens with their mouths hanging open, the universal sign of “my goodness, what’s next?” The Ascension of Christ marks the 40th day of Eastertide, and in those forty days Jesus continually prepared his disciples for the next chapter of their ministry in the world. And we have heard throughout these past weeks that the disciples often did not really understand Jesus’ lessons to them; again, I feel some kinship with these earliest followers of Christ! And now, Jesus has departed from their midst; their great rabbi, their teacher, has ascended and left them to carry on…a bit overwhelming! What should we think of this story; what can we say about our first class of Christians? Should we understand the Ascension as a graduation story or something else entirely? Continue reading →

Love and sacrifice: the Holiness of God

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Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany (Lev 19:1-2. 9-18)  2/23/2014

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One of my favorite books of the Bible is the Book of Ruth, a short book of only four chapters that centers on the life and relationship of two courageous women, Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. The story begins as a tale of loss and challenge: After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi was determined to return to her homeland of Bethlehem and seek a better life. Ruth was equally determined to faithfully remain at Naomi’s side, and although Naomi encouraged Ruth to remain in Moab with her people, Ruth joined the journey and left her homeland of Moab behind. These two poor widowed women reach Bethlehem and begin their search for food and shelter, hoping to find favor with relatives of Naomi’s late-husband. In desperate need of food, Ruth approached the servant in charge of the fields and asked to harvest the grain, following behind the reapers in the field. The servant granted Ruth permission to harvest the grain that was left, and she worked from early morning until late in the day. The owner of the field soon arrived and heard the challenging story of Naomi and Ruth, and he said to Ruth, “Now listen, my daughter, do not leave this field and do not harvest in any other field, for I have ordered no one to bother you.” Ruth was astonished and said to the man, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take care of me, when I am a foreigner from Moab?” The owner replied, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me…May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!” (Ruth 2:8, 10-12) For Naomi and Ruth, their story of loss, challenge and sorrow was transformed; their story became a new journey full of hope, promise, and joy! Continue reading →

Finding Balance in Generosity and Joy

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Christ the King (Luke 23:33-43) 11/24/2013

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I was away from the office this past week for a few days as I participated in a clergy retreat, and I am very thankful for the gift of this time to listen, learn and reflect with my clergy colleagues. The retreat was a time to learn about healthy practices of body, mind and spirit, and personal finance, leadership and ministry; how to create a proper balance in your life. Although all of these components of the retreat were insightful, the most nourishing and nurturing was the time spent in community with others; moments of simple social gathering and moments spent in worship. We gathered together each day in worship and one of my most memorable moments was during Morning Prayer of the third day. After hearing the Scripture readings appointed for the day, the preacher stood in front of the group and explained that there were some rather obvious topics for reflection, but instead she wanted to share some thoughts with us about “vestibulo-ocular reflex.” The unexpected topic created a bit of laughter among the surprised group, but the preacher, a priest and medical doctor, pressed ahead with her story. Without the benefit of medical training, I must admit that simply remembering the name “vestibulo-ocular reflex” was about all that I might manage…but fortunately we have the internet to refresh my memory! Vestibulo-ocular reflex is the human body’s amazing ability to provide clear and stable vision, even as our heads are in constant motion. As the head moves in one direction, the eyes respond by moving in a direction of equal and opposite motion to compensate and ensure accurate and clear vision through perfect balance. This reflex action may appear simple at first, but as you imagine the near constant motion of your body and the complexity of the movement, the reflex action of the eyes is nearly miraculous in practice. Vestibulo-ocular reflex is the body’s gift of stability of sight and clear vision, but this gift is only effective if two completely opposite actions are in perfect balance and experienced as one. As I sat with my friends in worship that morning, we encountered an unexpected story, but a story that was filled with the miraculous blessing of balance and clear vision. Continue reading →

Close the almanac and say a prayer

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Pentecost 22 (Luke 18:1-8)  10/20/2013

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Information is an important part of our society today. We are connected to the news of the world in ways that were unimaginable just a few short years ago. Information feeds our curiosities and gives us confidence that we are in touch with our world. However, information of the “here and now” is not the only information that peeks our interest. We are not quite halfway through the fall season and I have already spotted my first winter prediction in the newspaper. Predicting the coming season’s weather has been a fascination with people for generations. I remember reading the Old Farmer’s Almanac as a young boy, intrigued that the details of the weather could be known so far in advance, and I soon learned that the Almanac was not always correct. Long-term predictions would have struggled to capture the fierce storm from nearly two years ago, an epic October snow storm that disrupted our way of life for a week or more. Throughout those days, many of us sought some solace, some hope in the power company’s outage maps and restoration predictions. And as the days dragged on through the week, it became difficult to believe the information given to us and not lose heart with our circumstances. This morning, our Gospel lesson offers us an interesting twist on how we might inform our lives, how we might live a life of faithfulness and hope-filled confidence by telling a story of a determined woman and an unjust judge who sat in judgment of her future. Continue reading →

At Home with God

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Pentecost 21 (Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-7)  10/13/2013

Welcome to what is for many people the middle of a long weekend as we take time to celebrate and remember the adventures and discoveries of Christopher Columbus. The long weekend is an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful season of fall and perhaps a time to have some adventures of your very own. Throughout this past week as I was thinking of the many folks that would be traveling during this weekend, I was reminded of a phrase we often hear from returning travelers, “I had a wonderful time, but it sure is nice to be home!” Travel is a time of adventure, relaxation, and discovery, but as we return to our regular routines and our familiar places, it is nice to be home…except maybe for all the extra laundry you have to do! Coming home is a popular theme; as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz exclaimed, “There’s no place like home!” And even Christopher Columbus was exploring the world in search of a shorter trading route to the Far East in the hope of returning home a bit sooner. The comforts and the familiarity of “home” have great appeal to our sense of safety and stability, but what would we do if returning to that familiar home was not an option? What if our familiar world was turned upside down in a new and unusual way? This was the world in which the prophet Jeremiah lived and spoke to the people of the nation of Judah. Continue reading →

Together, a holy calling and Amani ya Juu (higher peace)

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Pentecost 20 (2 Timothy 1:1-14)  10/6/2013

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A few years ago, I noticed a seminary classmate of mine wearing a beautiful priest’s stole, designed of patch work fabric. I asked my friend about the stole and she told me that it was made in Africa by a group of women who had formed a cooperative to sell handmade products. The opportunities for women in Africa remain very challenging, and a group of women in Nairobi, Kenya, came together to help each other by forming a program for marginalized women, a sewing and training program to help them work together and grow. The group is called Amani ya Juu, which means “higher peace” in the Swahili language. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI purchased a stole for myself and I am wearing it this morning. Since the time I purchased the stole, I think of these women and their families and I pray for them and their success. I also receive newsletters and updates of their work and their progress. This past Wednesday I received an email from the women of Amani and the subject line of the note read, “Westgate Attack in Kenya.” Two weeks ago this morning the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi was attacked by people who use violence to spread their sectarian religious beliefs and exert their forceful wills upon innocent, peace-loving people. The email from the women of Amani, who are centered in Nairobi, quoted Joyce Muraya, Kenya Country Director for the Amani women’s group: “It is hard to celebrate [that no one from Amani was harmed] when so many have lost their lives…On that Sunday, part of my family made its way to Nairobi hospital to donate blood. We stood in line with people of all races and faiths. As I lay there pumping away watching the red of my blood slowly flood the small translucent bag, next to me was a British lady…Her blood was red too. On the bed next to me my daughter Wamuyu filled her bottle rapidly with red blood. In the queue was a lovely Rwandan woman. We each received a sweet cool drink provided by a business man of Indian extraction. As we were leaving, two Muslim women…came in also to donate blood. Somehow this underlined our common humanity.”[i] In the midst of violence and chaos, the strength and peace of God came from those who responded with compassion using the means available to them; Joyce Muraya’s message highlights this truth. The world in which we live can certainly be a very challenging place, but as we come together, the gifts of the full community of believers creates a positive and powerful force that can take up any challenge. Continue reading →

The Intentional Disciple

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Pentecost 16 (Luke 14:25-33)  9/08/2013

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Welcome to everyone as we gather together to begin a new program year and embark on our shared journey of growth, discovery and ministry this year. The time of summer vacations is now nearly over and I hope everyone has some great memories of these past few weeks. I have made several wonderful memories during this past summer. And during this past week as I have reflected on memories of summer fun and other events, I recalled one of the most strange memories I have of summer. As a young boy, my family would drive through Berlin on what is today Route 9, past a section of the town that contains many small ponds created by the old clay pits used to provide material to the local brickyards. In one of those small ponds sits an abandoned crane, with only the very top of the crane’s mast visible above the water. The image of the crane sitting in the middle of the pond always struck me as very odd and I wondered how that might have happened. Over the years I have heard many stories about the old abandoned crane: the operator uncovered a natural spring of water, or perhaps there was a strong rainstorm that appeared quite suddenly (as we experienced last week!), or maybe some mechanical failure of the crane made it nearly impossible to retrieve. Regardless of the cause, the crane’s mast remains above the water as a monument of a very bad day; a cautionary tale of the dangers of distraction. Continue reading →