A Day of New Beginnings

I presided at a wedding this morning. In Scoville Park. At 6:00 A.M. Yes, you read that right: 6:00 a.m. Toni and Lornell called our church a few weeks ago and asked if I would conduct a weding in a park. Sure, I said. What day and time? Saturday, July 7, they said. At dawn. You see, this is a new beginning for Lornell and Toni. They were married when they were both 19 years old, not ready for a long-term commitment, not sure yet who they were or what life was all about. They had a daughter together named Jasmine, but gradually their vows lost meaning. Eventually they ended up getting a divorce. Over the years, they stayed connected, raising Jasmine, who is now 20 years old. They remained friends. They both matured. Life happened. They learned some lessons. And Toni and Lornell realized they were ready to start over again, together. They want to grow old together. Toni and Lornell went to city hall and got a new marriage license. They met with me and talked about this new beginning. They didn't want to get married to have a big party, to entertain famly and friends. They wanted this ceremony to be intimate and pesonal. Before they shared their vows, Lornell presented a ring to Jasmine -- who held them together during all these years. I read Colossians 3:12-17 as we stood together at dawn, with Jasmine taking pictures on her phone. Colossians talks about the essential elements of any good marriage: forgiveness, love, peace and gratitude. When I asked Lornell and Toni for words to describe thie relationship, they said: Peace, Reconciliation, Wholeness. We all cried. There is a hymn in the New Century Hymnal written by Brian Wren, that begins with these words: This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone. For by the life and death of Jesus, God's mighty Spirit, now as then, can make for us a world of difference, as faith and hope are born again. It is a day of new beginnings for Lornell and Toni, once again joined as husband and wife. May it be a day of new beginnings for all of us, as we celebrate the God of Second Chances, who sent Jesus Christ to live among us . . . so that we might be born again.

Sitting on the Porch

I’ve found my favorite place in the world. At lunchtime, I sneak out to a bench on the church patio. Then I just sit and gaze. Three old elms provide a natural awning on sunny days. Cool breezes gently bless the saints resting in the Memorial Garden. Parents and children walk the labyrinth together, though few complete the whole journey. On Lake and Kenilworth, bicyclists and pedestrians amble by, along with babies in strollers and seniors in wheelchairs. The stones of our church building stand strong and silent, at the still point of a turning world. It centers my soul to sit there for a few minutes and contemplate God’s extravagant generosity. This place overflows with beauty and peace. There on the labyrinth we blessed Peggi and Mike Mizen, longtime members of our church who moved to Ohio last month. During this season of travel and transition, the labyrinth is a perfect symbol of our lives. We may walk in different directions, but we are all joined in the center. We travel past one another, and meet again in the middle. God bless all who are moving this month – Kris and Connie Ronnow to Presbyterian Homes in Evanston, Bob and Janet Haisman who will move to a condo near the church, and so many others. Soon I will be sitting on the porch of my new condo in Oak Park – on Austin Boulevard, just south of Lake Street. My youngest daughter will graduate from high school May 31 and I will be sending both of my daughters off to college in August. Summer is a good time to sit on the porch. It’s a good time to come away and rest. Find a porch somewhere (the church patio is big enough to share), and spend some time with Jesus. “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. . . . He saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” – Mark 6:30-31, 34 In Christian love, Julie

An Ounce of Mother

I just heard a Spanish proverb that's perfect for Mother's Day: An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. All the moms out there should know that you have great power to shape your child/children's spirituality. What you do and say has much more impact than any sermon we can preach. Thank you, God, for mothers who train their children in faith, for they will never depart from it.

You are an inspiration to me

"You are an inspiration to me."

Those words were about the last thing I expected to hear when a group of us from First United Church met with Joseph, a legislative aid to U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in Washington, DC. We were there for Ecumenical Advocacy Days, and we had 30 minutes in the Congressman's office to talk about issues related to a fair federal budget and human rights issues in Latin America.

I began by saying we were there to preach the good news of Jesus Christ, who proclaimed liberation for those who are oppressed and poor. Secondly, we were there as constituents who VOTE and citizens of the republic. Thirdly, we were there as friends and companions to our partners in the Presbyterian Church of Colombia.

Joseph's eyes got kind of wide when I started talking about Jesus. Maybe people in Washington aren't used to that kind of talk . . . at least when it is connected to justice and love for people in other countries. And he really paid attention when Mahala and Laurand, two of our youth delegates, began to articulate the issues. Five million people in Colombia have been displaced. Their rights to restitution are difficult to claim. Labor leaders are subject to harassment and assassination. U.S. military and police presence contributes to violence.

We asked the Congressman to use his power to influence American involvement in Colombia, to support development aid rather than weapons. We asked for enforcement of labor protections prior to the implementation of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. We asked for the U.S. to monitor treatment of those who have been displaced from their homes and lands.

And by the end of our visit, he turned to us and said, "You all are an inspiration to me!" Rep. Davis signed a Dear Colleague letter that we asked him to endorse.

Sometimes God's work happens in surprising ways. I was glad our presence made Joseph's day. May he -- and all public servants -- be inspired to continue working for liberty and justice for all.

Three Pairs of Black Pants and Holy Saturday

Today is Holy Saturday, the day when Christ lay in the tomb, before he rose on Easter Sunday. Jesus and his followers were Jewish, so this was their Sabbath. They were unable to do any work, so this was a day of silence and rest. On this day of Holy Week, nothing happened.

I went to do my laundry early this morning, and I realized I had three pairs of black pants in one load of wash. Black is our Holy Week uniform at First United. I wore all black for Maundy Thursday. I wore all black for the Good Friday Walk of Justice from noon to 3 pm in Chicago. And I wore all black for the Good Friday service last night at First United. It is a week of mourning, a week of pain, coming after six weeks of Lent.

I am ready to change my wardrobe. Enough fasting. Enough repentance. Enough tears. Enough sadness. I am ready. I know today Jesus lies in the tomb.

But tomorrow it will be Resurrection time. One more day to wait and watch.

The Spirituality of Subtraction

What I'm giving up for Lent: buying books, clothes and music.

I know, all of those are good things. They are so good that I have waaaaay too many of all three. My bookshelves are overflowing, and I have three or four stacks of books sitting on the floor of my bedroom. My closet is chock-full, mostly stuff I bought at resale shops or got as gifts, but still . . . . And let's not talk about music. I have CDs stashed in every room in my house, as well as my car, and then there's the I Pod and the laptop. You get the idea.

So I am practicing what Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) called the Spirituality of Subtraction. He was a Dominican priest and mystic in German who said the spiritual life has more to do with subtraction than addition.

We are so shaped by our capitalist, consumerist worldview that we think of everything as an object for our personal consumption. We add more to life, even in the area of spirituality. More services, more scripture, more sacraments, and more good deeds.

It's dangerous to bring that attitude of consumption to our religious life. Lent is about letting go, Lent is about doing without, Lent is about releasing our attachment to things.

So I'm finding a lot of freedom in this Lenten discipline. I recycle all the catalogs that arrive, I delete all the enticing emails from Amazon, and I borrow other people's music instead of buying my own. My toughest day so far was going to DSW Shoe Warehouse with my daughter to buy something for HER. Somehow, I resisted the temptation to get something for myself.

With the free time and money I have from "subtracting" clothing, books and music from my shopping list, I can make a more generous contribution to our One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. How beautiful is that?

Ashes to Go

Next Wednesday, 2/22, is Ash Wednesday. In many Christian churches, people gather in worship to pray, to confess sins, and to receive a mark of humility: ashes on the forehead.

A lot of people feel kind of embarassed walking around with ashes on their faces. That's the point. We're supposed to feel humble on Ash Wednesday. The word "humility" comes from the root of the word humus, meaning "dirt." When we receive ashes, we hear the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, when we are invited to humble ourselves before God.

But you know a lot of people don't go to church. Maybe they don't have time. Maybe they're out of the habit. Maybe they don't understand our language or our music or our rituals. But everyone is a seeker. Everyone is a seeker.

So this year, I will be joining a half dozen other pastors in Oak Park to offer Ashes to Go. We will stand outside El stations and Metra platforms, at the corner of Lake and Marion, and the corner of Lake and Oak Park, and we will offer people Ashes to Go.

Instead of asking them to come inside the church, we will go to them. We will hold signs and wear clerical collars and offer people a ritual of repentance, an invitation to deeper prayer.

That's how God works, isn't it? God comes to us, where we are, and touches us. We find God in places we never expected.

I hope to see you in our sanctuary at 7:00 pm on 2/22/12. But if not, maybe I'll see you on Lake Street. "Turn away from your sins, and believe the good news." God is with us.