Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Halloween and Death....Not So Scary After All!


The light of flashlights pierced the darkness as a group of teenagers walked through the cemetery, going from headstone to headstone seeking the oldest corpse.  Voices pierced the foggy mist as they announced their finds: “This one died in 1942…this one in 1903…here’s one from 1875…wow, 1860!”  Their feet passed over the top of the dead lying in fancy caskets and the dead in rough, decomposed wooden coffins.  Shivers ran through many of the teens’ spines as they realized that bodies lay just a few feet away.  Halloween thoughts raced through many heads: thoughts of zombies, skeletons, ghosts.  How many stories are told of the things that happen in dark cemeteries?!

From the middle of the cemetery, voice spoke, echoing words that had been spoken many times in that place, “Almighty God, by the death and burial of Jesus, your anointed, you have destroyed death and sanctified the graves of all your saints.  Keep our brother, whose body we now lay to rest, in the company of all your saints and, at the last, raise him up to share with all your faithful people the endless joy and peace won through the glorious resurrection of Christ our Lord.”  In the midst of a place of death and decay and fear, the voice spoke of life and resurrection. 

Death drives people to fear.  Horror movies and ghost stories use death to build terror.   People flock to haunted houses filled with the images of the dead…and ‘undead.’   People struggle to sleep with scary thoughts flashing through their minds.  Death, the unknown future, brings hopelessness and despair.  Halloween images play into it all.

There is one who knows death very well.  Jesus of Nazareth hung on a cross while life drained from him.  He breathed his last.  People lay his corpse in a tomb.  Terror overwhelmed Jesus’ friends as they feared that they would be next to die.  Death held great power that day.

But a couple days later Jesus walked again, not as some ‘undead’ zombie, but as a resurrected one.  Death crumbled before the power of God.

Last Wednesday evening some families from Peace Lutheran Church walked through the darkness of the cemetery just west of Eyota.  In the midst of a place of death…and a season of death…we spoke words of hope.  We heard words that come from the service for the committal of a body to the ground.  Lord Jesus, by your death you took away the sting of death.  Grant to us, your servants, so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake in your likeness.” 

At Halloween death seems so terrifying, but God’s people can look death in the eye and proclaim, “I am a chosen child of God, claimed and redeemed by Jesus.  Death, you could not hold Jesus and you can’t hold me.  I will live with my savior forever!”  Through faith we can walk to death in peace, knowing that God cares for us in this life and in the next. 

Happy Halloween!  It’s a fun day for candy and odd costumes…and a day to remember that God has conquered death forever.  ‘Rest eternal grant her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine on her.’  RIP: Rest in Peace!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Christian Response to Political Fear Mongering


“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, 1933


FDR sought to speak a word of hope into a desperate situation.  In 1933 the nation was in the grips of the Great Depression.  People didn’t know who to trust.  Banks closed and people’s savings disintegrated.  The stock market which boomed for so many years collapsed.  Once the fear got going it overwhelmed the nation with disastrous consequences.   People saw little hope for the future and could only think of survival.  FDR knew that this had to change.  To get the nation moving forward again people had to have hope in something.   

Many of us experienced similar emotions in October 2008 as the economy went into a free fall.  Companies closed.  The stock market fell apart.  People lost jobs.  Once the fear got rolling there was no stopping it.

Fear paralyses people.  It causes them to make irrational decisions, not based on facts, but based on emotions.  Fear causes the ‘fight or flight’ mentality to kick in.  Self-preservation trumps all.

Right now our airwaves abound in fear!  With only a couple weeks left in this election cycle, both major parties do what they can to make us fear their opponents.  If we believed the Republican rhetoric, voting for Obama is not only a vote for another recession, it means that your grandma will no longer get health care, you will probably lose your job, and America will be taken over by Muslim extremists.  If you believe the Democratic rhetoric, voting for Romney is a vote for is a vote for the wealthy to get wealthier, your grandma will lose her health care, and America will suddenly fight wars all over the globe, especially in the Middle East. 

Both parties tell half-truths and outright lies to drive us to despair if the ‘other’ guy is elected.  They get us to vote out of fear of what will happen if the ‘other’ wins.  The ‘party machines’ draw us into the fray.  They give us the ‘talking points’ to use to instill the most fear in those around us.  Those who vote on the opposite side of the aisle are ‘idiots’ who ‘just don’t get it.’ 

How quickly we forget about things like ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ and ‘you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.’  We make political candidates into saviors.  When speaking of the ‘opponent’ we fail to ‘defend them, speak well of them, and explain their action in the kindest way.’  

Can people of faith bring another voice to the conversation?  No matter which party carries the White House and Congress, Jesus will still be Lord.  God will still care for God’s people.  We will still have the freedom to worship God as we choose.

Fear mongering has no place among God’s people.  It’s high time for people of faith to set aside the half-truths, lies, and fears which surround us.  Before you post a snarky Facebook message…before you repeat a rumor your heard about a candidate…before you mock someone for misspeaking… before you call someone a liar…take the time to ask, “Is this how Jesus wants us to treat one of His children?”  When we’re gripped by fear we fail to care for our neighbor…we only think of ourselves.  The last I checked, that’s not our Christian calling!

With God at work in our world, what do we have to fear???

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Hanging Out with God


Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

 
Shannon and I have spent nearly 20 years of life together in marriage.  We’ve had much to talk about!  We started our married years with me in seminary and Shannon working as a psych nurse at the VA in Minneapolis.  I shared my classroom learning…she shared her interesting experiences.  While there we had many hours of wondering where we would end up once I became a pastor.  We assumed it would be Iowa or Wisconsin, but God had other ideas.  Once we received our assignment, we spent many hours discussing the merits of life in small town Illinois!  Once at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Benson, IL, I got to tell her my experiences as a new pastor.  When Ben came along we wrestled with the best way to raise him and Shannon got to tell me what it was like to be a stay at home mom in a town of 400 people.  While in Illinois, Shannon started her business and we spent many hours together planning for the future, considering the best way to move Treefrog Treasures forward.  After 6 ½ years in Illinois we felt God calling us back to Minnesota, so we spent many long hours wondering what that meant for us. 

After moving to Eyota life changed significantly.  I went from a stable rural congregation to a new, cutting edge one.  I ran many ideas past my wife.  She grew her business, employing staff and building a warehouse.  She wanted my input.  For over eight years now we’ve had cancer to talk about, pondering her latest treatments and the effects they’ve had on her.  For so many years we’ve had much to talk about.  We’ve made time to talk…and to listen.

Not every moment of our relationship has been in conversation.  We’ve also spent time hanging out, just being with each other.  Words aren’t always needed.  Whether we’re in the boat fishing…or watching a movie…or quietly reading books together, spending quiet time together is important to any relationship.  Sometimes you need to quit talking…and just BE!

Over the past month I’ve realized the importance of this, not just in my marriage, but in my relationship with God! 

My prayer life over the years has involved a lot of talking…most of it by me.  I come to God with concerns and requests.  I ponder the ways that God works in the world.  I thank God for God’s goodness…and complain to God when things go wrong.  I praise God for the love that God has for me…and I wonder aloud why people suffer.  Talk…talk…talk! 


About the time that school started this fall I started a new spiritual practice…quietly hanging out with God.  Life got so hectic that I had a hard time slowing down, so (with some help and direction) I tracked down a couple YouTube videos of rivers rushing over some rapids.  For four minutes a day I sit and stare into that rushing water.  I seek to clear my mind…and simply BE with God.  No talking.  No planning.  No pondering.  Just time being in God’s presence.  The sight and sound of the water helps to clear my mind.  Some days it’s a challenge…my mind wants to plan the next thing on the calendar, but the rushing waters bring my mind back to God.  It’s brought a sense of peace and rest.  It becomes an oasis in the midst of a hectic schedule.  Intentionally spending time with God puts many things into perspective!

Four minutes.  It’s actually not much time, but it’s been a good beginning for me.  Sometimes I need to quit talking and just BE.  Me…hanging out with God!  I highly recommend it!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Mental Illness: A Heart Rending Story


It’s a story we hear all too often.  A kid gets a serious illness…communities rally around him to support him and his family as he battles through treatment…money is raised to pay for hospital bills.  Heartwarming stories come out of it all.

While this may be the case for many diseases, those who suffer from mental illness rarely have heartwarming stories!  Read this letter from the father of a child who has childhood bipolar disorder. 

 

By Anonymous (a physician)

I have a terrible wish that breaks my heart. I wish my son had childhood leukemia instead of what he does have, a mental illness called childhood bipolar disorder (BP).

You see, if only my son had childhood leukemia instead of BP…

He would have a 90% chance of being cured and only a 10% chance of dying.

Family and friends would rally to support him and us. They would stay at his bedside. They would send cards and balloons and flowers. They would prepare meals for us. They would be there for him and us.

Foundations would answer his fondest wish, and professional athletes and clowns would come to his bedside to bring him a smile.

He would be treated on a caring cancer ward in a beautiful children's hospital made possible by gifts from private individuals and foundations. Our insurance company would not put a limit on the number of days he could spend in the hospital, and there would be plenty of outstanding pediatric oncologists willing to treat him.

If he needed $100,000 for a bone marrow transplantation, medical insurance would cover it. If not, family, friends, and strangers would donate money to ensure that he received the life-saving treatment.

But my son does not have leukemia. He has a mental illness and…

He has more than an 18% chance of dying from suicide or drug overdose or some other complication of his illness, and there is no hope for a cure -- only the hope that maybe someday he can take care of himself.

Family and friends avoid us. They do not rally to help us. They do not ask how he is and how we are. They are not there for him or us.

There are no foundations seeking to grant his wishes, and professional athletes and clowns do not come to give him a smile. Our son has a mental illness, and that means his illness is not like leukemia, because surely it is his fault or our fault or both. His illness is certainly not something worth caring about. His wishes are not worth granting, and few people want to volunteer their time just to bring him a smile.

There is no beautiful psychiatric ward for him, because who would want to waste their gifts on children like him? Instead, we close psychiatric facilities for children and put up barriers to their receiving treatment. Our insurance company limits inpatient coverage to 30 days a year, so we pray he does not need more than that. Insurance companies do not adequately pay child psychiatrists, so, naturally, there is a shortage, and we feel lucky because we were able to get a child psychiatrist to care for our son.

If he ever needs residential treatment, which may require many months of therapy, our medical insurance will not pay for it. Family, friends, and strangers will not come forward to raise the $100,000 that is needed for this treatment, no matter how life-saving it may be.

Yes, if my son had leukemia, he would have a realistic chance of being cured, and would receive the best possible medical care and the support of family and friends and strangers. But he doesn't. He has BP, and that means inadequate medical care, cold indifference from others, and no hope for a cure.

What a terrible wish for a father to have. To wish that your son had leukemia instead of what he does have, a mental illness called bipolar disorder.

 

It’s easy to forget that mental illnesses are physical in nature.  People with mental illnesses aren’t morally deficient…they aren’t ‘weird’…they aren’t ‘problems.’  They are sick people in need of treatment.  They are children of God in need of care and compassion…just as every person struggling with an illness needs care and compassion.

This week is national Mental Illness Awareness Week.  As people of God we are free to reach out to those struggling with mental illnesses…and the families that love and care for them! 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Do your part in electing...a bishop!


Election season is nearly upon us.  It’s a time to start looking at candidates…to hear them speak…to prayerfully consider which will do a better job of leading us into the future. Your input is crucial!  This is a democracy…the people choose their leaders!  We’re only seven months away from the election! 

I’m not living in a bizarre time warp…and I’m not talking about American presidential elections.  In June of 2013 the Southeastern Minnesota Synod will be electing a new bishop…and each congregation has a role to play in that election!

Many people here at Peace grew up denominations where succession plans determine who gets to move up to the office of bishop...or where people of power appoint them to that office.  Our process is VERY different!  Next June four people from Peace will attend our Synod Assembly, an annual gathering of people from churches all over southeast Minnesota.  Every pastor in the synod is expected to be there…but there are more lay people than clergy (three people from Peace will join me).  The election will happen by ‘ecclesiastical ballot,’ a fancy name for a simple process.  The first ballot is the nominating ballot.  Blank sheets of paper are handed out and voting members can write down the name of any pastor in the ELCA.  They don’t have to be pastors in our area…they can be from anywhere (rural synods like ours tend to prefer to nominate local people, but that’s not required).   Names are then taken from that nominating ballot and brought forward for later votes.  In each round of voting the number of names on the ballot shrinks.  The possibility of election exists on any ballot by achieving the required number of votes cast by voting members of the assembly applicable to a particular ballot.  By the end of the 2013 Synod Assembly, the new bishop will be elected. 

The four voting members from Peace will have a say in who becomes our new bishop…but everyone’s input is needed for this process to work!  While the official election happens at the assembly, there is a process in place to help people get to know some potential ‘candidates’ for bishop…and you get to be a part of determining who these ‘candidates’ are!  Each congregation in the synod has been asked to gather some people together to answer these questions:

1.     What does it mean for my congregation to be part of a synod?

2.    What issues do we face in our community, southeastern Minnesota and the larger world that we can work on better as a synod than by ourselves?

3.    What qualities in a leader do we need to face these issues?

4.    Are there specific people we think would make a good bishop?

I am looking to gather some people to have these conversations!  If we can determine what qualities we want in a bishop I can put people in contact with potential ‘candidates’ to see if they fit those qualities!  You can be a part of it!  If you know a pastor who has what it takes you can bring their name to the conversation!

Congregations throughout the synod will be making these nominations through January.  In February at our conference assembly all of these names will be brought forward to be voted on.  Those receiving the most votes will take part in several ‘question and answer’ sessions so people all over the synod can get to know some potential candidates.  There is no requirement that one of those who are part of this question and answer process will be elected bishop.  Once the synod assembly begins, the nominating ballots are blank.  This part of the process allows for some people to 'be known' on a wider basis.

In the ELCA, people don’t ‘campaign’ for bishop.  There are no yard signs or buttons or campaign managers.  You won’t see TV ads flooding the Rochester area.  This is a prayerful, discerning process!  People can be ‘open’ to being a bishop, but nobody can say they are ‘called’ to be a bishop until the assembly votes them into that position.

It’s time to pray…and to talk!  If you are interested in being a part of the conversation let me know.  I’ll find a time when we can meet together!

More information (including a profile of the bishop’s role) can be found at semnsynod.org/election-of-a-bishop.