Thanksgiving

So, Thanksgiving is Thursday! I'm excited because it's our first Thanksgiving with our children. They asked for a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, which we are happy to supply. We're going to eat too much turkey (minus my vegetarian self), potatoes, dressing, cranberries, vegetables, and pie. We're going to visit with a family friend for a few hours. We will have dessert with other friends later in the day. Sounds like a great Thanksgiving, right?

Well, yes, but is that the point of Thanksgiving? When I think back to the original purpose of Thanksgiving, it was both a real and necessary time. People were giving God thanks for providing basic food, shelter, and health - all things that many Americans now take for granted. While we think of Thanksgiving as one day out of the year, our ancestors probably were giving God thanks every single moment of every day. I would be too, if I had survived a cholera outbreak, freezing temperatures, and other obstacles.

I think that we need to recover that particular attitude. We need it on Thursday - to be grateful for all that we have been blessed with; but also, because we need it every day. God doesn't just pour out blessings one day a year - blessings are constant and abundant. Why shouldn't we give God thanks each day?

I often find myself drawn to the ancient practice of praying the psalms. The prayerbook of the Bible, the psalms really provide the reader with an opportunity to express their emotions before God. Many of the psalms are psalms of praise and thanksgiving. Perhaps, if we have trouble remembering to give God thanks on a daily basis, we can turn to those psalms as a means to discipline ourselves in the practice of thanking God.

Do You Love Me?

Earlier this week, I was reading during my devotional time, and came across an excerpt from Richard Foster's book Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. I've had Foster's book for most of the last decade, with every intention of reading it; after reading this particular excerpt, I will have to make time to read the book in its entirety.

Foster is commenting on the interaction between Peter and Jesus as they have breakfast on the beach. Here's what Foster reflects: "...Jesus had only one question for Peter: 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Jesus did not ask him about his effectiveness, or skill, or anything but his love." That quote has stuck with me all week.

Why? Because the recommendations of the United Methodist Church's Call to Action committee recommend greater effectiveness in clergy leadership. Annual Conference boards of Ordained Ministry have "Ministerial Effectiveness Teams," for the purpose of reviewing candidates for ordination and full conference membership to see if they are effective.

Are pastors effective in ministry? What skills do they show, and how are they improving? These are the kinds of questions that are being asked of clergy at the beginning of (and throughout) their ministries. I suppose effectiveness and skill development translate into fruit, right? Well, when Jesus asked his disciple about ministry, he didn't ask about effectiveness or skill. He asked about his love for Jesus.

Have we moved away from that? Does effectiveness and skill trump one's relationship with God in Jesus Christ? You know, I wish someone would ask me what the evidence is that my relationship with God is growing; that I am more deeply in love with God today than I was yesterday. If we would ask those questions, instead of questions of effectiveness or skill level, we might actually burn with love for Jesus. We might actually be able to tell our story and be witnesses to God's love enacted in our lives.

The renewal of the church will come, not when we evaluate clergy effectiveness and preparedness for ministry, but when we go back to remembering God's call on our lives, and witnessing to growing in God's grace. Maybe we need to return to a simple question for us to reflect on our witness and evangelizing power: "Do I love Jesus?"

We Need a Little Christmas...

Can I tell you how excited I am about Advent? I love this time of year! One more Sunday (Christ the King), and then we're off to prepare ourselves for Christ's birth. Today, my copy of Worship Arts (the periodical of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts) arrived in the mail, with a handwritten note from the editor. I opened it up to find an article I wrote on page 8. I, of course, expected to see the article. It was, however, very different to see it in print, with my name and picture attached. I am humbled to think that God has called me to the awesome task of ministry...which is actually what this particular post is about.

This awesome task of ministry takes on new meaning at low points in congregations. Every congregation experiences them - we get lulled into complacency because everything is going well. People are less likely to get involved at a higher level than they already are. People like how things are, and as long as the boat doesn't get rocked too much, they are satisfied.

When we get into periods of low points, congregations must cheer one another! Sometimes it takes a lot of work and creativity to cheer on people in churches; sometimes, though, it is all too natural. Advent is one of those natural opportunities. Yes, we need a little Christmas, because it brings with it an excitement and joy that is euphoric. BUT, that joy and excitement is heightened by the season of Advent. When we prepare ourselves for Christ's birth, we get in an attitude of expectancy. And really, we need to have that attitude all year long. For four weeks in the church year, we get to experience it, and learn how to be on the alert that God is about to do a great thing, and we want to be a part of it. What if we took that same attitude of expectation that we discover when we do Advent well (and let Christmas be from December 25-January 6), and placed that expectancy in worship each week of the year? It's like having Christmas all year long!

Unvocal Minority

I'm just going to come out and say it....I'm an oppressed minority. For weeks, months even, I've been hearing and viewing attack ads on television from a variety of candidates for local, county, state, and national office. Seldom have I heard or read any advertisement that stated the candidates views; more often than not, I simply heard how the other opponent would be a horrible choice, without stating their own position or concrete solutions to the "problems" their opponent caused, or would cause, should they be elected.

I was unsure how to go about finding out what these candidates truly stood for. At the same time, social networking demonstrated to me that there are several whom I count as friends, colleagues, and/or parishoners who are, at the least more outspoken than me about politics - to the point of being ideological on the left or the right. Because I do not side with one camp, I feel ostracized; because I do not stand with the other camp, I feel left out in the cold.

Today is election day for midterm elections in the United States. All day long, what I've heard is "exercise your right to vote - then you have the right to complain if your candidates aren't elected!" Exercise my right vote? Really? When I can't figure out which candidates stand for what, and wondering if my relationships with people are strong enough to stand if I vote for a different candidate than them, should I really be voting? Besides, I strongly believe that our system is broken, and that no candidate from either side can fix it.

I expect to be chided for not voting. After all, it is my civic duty, right? But is it better to vote for someone just to have participated in the process? If I truly don't know what a person stands for, why should I vote for them? Because they go to the same church as me? Because they have "conservative values?" Because they will repeal "Don't ask, don't tell?"

Here's what bothers me most - and now I'm not an unvocal minority - at least I'm expressing my opinion: what about the billions and billions of dollars candidates have spent to get elected? Mudslinging ads, transportation, leaflets, yard signs - all amount to a huge amount of money that could have been used to combat homelessness or hunger; or, it could have simply been used to reduce state and federal deficits. If I don't vote, am I contributing to the problem? Maybe; maybe not - but if I do vote, am I also saying that the mudslinging and vast amounts of wasteful spending on campaign finances is okay?

I may be in the unvocal minority on this issue, but at least I've finally written my thoughts down on paper. As a pastor, I do not feel I can inflict my political opinion on others; but at least I can blog about it. My political opinions are complex; sometimes conservative, sometimes liberal, sometimes neither. I can't be forced to fit into a mold of ideology, nor can I go to the poll in a primary and vote strictly down party lines. There's too much at stake for ideology to take the lead (we simply have to look at the Pharisees to note how that works out).

So, to all who think I'm abandoning my civic duty; I am not. I am very much a part of the political process, and I'm choosing to vote with my absence, because I cannot support candidates who tear one another down, when I'm called to build people up in love. And, I will not be one of the people who complains two years later about those in office; but I will voice my concern regarding our broken system of government. As a pastor, I must 1) pray for wisdom for my elected leaders, and 2) seek for God's will do be done, and not my own.