Month: March 2024

Storybook Worship from March 3rd, 2024

/ Robert D / Leave a comment

I realize that I share a lot of heavy stuff on here. Here’s one of the more delightful things I have been able to put together lately. I wrote the words and Adobe Firefly helped with the graphics with the example artistry being stained glass windows from my church so it matched the sanctuary’s color schemes.

If the toothbrush stuff throws you, we’re collecting dental supplies for Lent alongside other churches and groups to share with the beloved individuals and families coming into the Food Pantry housed in our church building.

Returning Resolution

/ Robert D / Leave a comment

I’m resubmitting my resolution to the Annual Conference in 2024 that was ignored by the 2023 Annual Conference. Why? The reality is that we didn’t get to the work, but the work still needs to be done. Is it weird to submit a petition for 2028’s General Conference in 2024 before the General Conference in 2024? Possibly. Will it be considered out of order? Probably. Will I lift it up anyway? Yes. What better way to celebrate “National Be Heard Day”? (Yes, I know it is about advertising, but I see a nudging where others see an ad campaign to get small businesses to pay for more advertising. An advertising campaign to get small businesses to spend more on advertising: that’s a bold strategy)

Will it be rejected out of hand? Probably. It is pretty early to consider the subject, so I guess I will have to bring it up again. That’ll be three times I’ve raised the issue. Then maybe four times. Then possibly five times. I wonder how many times it will take before it becomes clear the goal is raising the issue because we met a resolution on the unethical use of silence around IPV with even more deafening silence.

Also, before I bore you, here’s a helpful set of resources if you’re a church official and have asked yourself how you would even begin to ascertain if there’s a problem in your setting or even how you go about home visitation. It could possibly be really helpful for a Safe Sanctuaries training for those working with vulnerable adults. It includes tools for assessing how prepared you are and how your tools are working. Kudos, Minnesota Department of Health: thanks for the help.

Title: Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence Awareness

Since the 2016 publication of the Book of Resolutions and Book of Discipline, the United States’ Center for Disease Control has released information through their publication “The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016/2017 Report on Intimate Partner Violence ” indicating that almost one in two women (47.3% or 59 million) in the United States and more than 40 percent (44.2% or 52.1 million) of U.S. men reported contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking victimization by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime.

On a global scale, for the year ending March 2022, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that 1.7 million women and 699,000 men aged 16 years and over experienced domestic abuse in the last year. This is a prevalence rate of approximately seven in 100 women and three in 100 men for that single year. In addition, while numbers are not equally reported with the same statistical standards across various cultures and communities, the World Health Organization has stated that slightly less than 1 in 3 women (30%) have experienced sexual violence. It can be inferred that this issue is global in nature and should be addressed more thoroughly by our Book of Resolutions and our Book of Discipline.

Whereas The United Methodist Church is already on record as stating: “We recognize that family violence and abuse in all its forms—verbal, psychological, physical, sexual—is detrimental to the covenant of the human community.” (2016 Book of Discipline ¶ 161.II.H)

Whereas The United Methodist Church is already on record naming sexual violence and abuse as sins and pledging to work for their eradication (“Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse,” 2000 Book of Resolutions; “Violence Against Women and Children,” 2008 Book of Resolutions).

Whereas The United Methodist Church is called to express itself both carefully and clearly in matters that affect all people of sacred worth which includes both those who experience and perpetrate acts of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and or/stalking victimization. (2016 Book of Discipline ¶ 161.II.H)

Whereas it is statistically probable that whenever any given United Methodist Church within the United States gathers more than 40% of people in that community may have experienced (or may experience in the future) contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking victimization regardless of their gender, sexual, and/or cultural identities. It is also statistically probable that whenever a congregation of The United Methodist Church gathers around our world, around 30% of the women gathered within our communities may have potentially experienced gendered violence.

Whereas there may be cultural norms and mores that allow certain aspects of these actions to go unreported or unspoken due to the gender, sexual, or cultural expectations placed on individuals of sacred worth by forces outside of those individuals both within and without church communities.

Whereas there are places within our Church and cultural spaces where the silence is deafening, especially when there are often comorbid conditions that can further complicate conversation (i.e., mental illness, addiction, toxic expectations, etc.).

Whereas there should be places within our Church and local churches where individuals can find support, affirmation, and resources from the church community during moments when abuse may be clouding the ability to research church stances, affirmations, resolutions, and resources.

Whereas the Book of Discipline is one resource that touches every level of our connectional church and is one place where our church looks for guidance when considering the nature of our ministry together as a “Nurturing Community.” The Book of Discipline ¶161 on “The Nurturing Community” is one place where we acknowledge that we are called to help people of sacred worth who may be facing the difficult and isolating experiences previously mentioned.

Therefore be it resolved that the 2028 General Conference insert the statement (bold) into Book of 19 Discipline, ¶161.H:

“We recognize that family violence and abuse in all its forms—verbal, psychological, physical, sexual—is detrimental to the covenant of the human community. We recognize that these forms of insidious violence affect people of sacred worth of every gender, sexual, and cultural identity. These detrimental acts are often overlooked, ignored, downplayed, or met with silence. We encourage the Church to provide a safe environment, counsel, and support for the victim and to work with the abuser to understand the root causes and forms of abuse and to overcome such behaviors. Regardless of the cause or the abuse, both the victim and the abuser need the love of the Church. While we deplore the actions of the abuser, we affirm that person needs God’s redeeming love.”

Telling our Stories again (and again)

/ Robert D / Leave a comment

“I’m convinced that they told this story about Peter because Peter himself insisted on telling it over and over again. It became so associated with Peter and his ministry that not to tell the story would have been a great disservice.”

Rev. Adam Hamilton, “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple”

I have become utterly convinced, like Rev. Hamilton, that the best stories I have ever shared have been stories of weakness on my own behalf. Two days ago, we shared the story about how the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of the world. I have to admit that my story is a foolish story.

I am a minister in recovery from alcoholism who is divorced. I struggle to communicate with my former partner and I rarely see my kids. I have a lot of struggles in my life and I am really open about all of them, but I don’t share because I want pity. I share because the stories show the Way I have found a path out of the darkness. The stories are an invitation to life.

How? Jesus works through my weakness. To borrow from the epistles, I have this treasure in a jar of clay. I share these stories because the power of God doesn’t come from me. It comes from God.

When I share communion I share about the unfermented fruit of the vine because everyone should come to the table. There is rarely a person who walks through the doors of our church who does not understand that God can and will heal them even from the hardest of situations. I have become an advocate for the addicted, the brokenhearted, the lonely, and the grieving. My strongest advocacy comes through sharing my story with all of the failures within it.

Peter knew what he was doing. I seek to do the same.

Our church is offering a short-term Bible study for the season of Lent. While many studies for the season traditionally focus on spiritual practices or on the stories of holy week, this year we are reading “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple” by Rev. Adam Hamilton. The idea of the study is that we might consider how we follow Christ in our lives while considering the life of this flawed follower. These blog posts are designed with a principle I have learned from recovery work: “We identify with the stories of others and try not to contrast.” We grow more and live with greater serenity when we look for what we share in common with someone with whom we might otherwise disagree.

Standing Around Injustice

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“Few people are still alive who stood by at a lynching, but we’ve all been Paul Plummer at some point in our lives. We’ve been afraid to speak up in the face of injustice or to stand up to a bully or to work to resist what was evil. And in a hundred other ways we’ve denied Jesus by our thoughts, words, or deeds.”

Rev. Adam Hamilton, “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple”

Yesterday we read about Jesus clearing the temple in church. Jesus drove out money changers, animals, and vendors from the Temple. We noted that such practices took place in the outermost court of the temple. The outermost space of the temple was the only place open for Gentile God-fearers. Jesus drove out people because he had a certain amount of zealousness about the house of God.

Yesterday as our study met, we also noted how our study of this book noted that the very coins of the Empire claimed that the Emperor was the son of a Roman god. It would have been rather blasphemous to bring a Roman coin into the Jewish temple, but that didn’t apparently justify the behavior of the money changers. Even if they were trying to do good, it is not okay to deprive others of their only space to worship and belong just because it somehow helps support the greater good. One injustice did not justify another injustice.

How many of us have stood by when injustice happens around us? How many of us members of the United Methodist Church have ignored the baptismal promise United Methodists make to resist injustice and oppression? How often have we let ideals of religious behavior overrule our call to justice?

As a young Christian, I was far more ambivalent about the way that Christians around me discussed people who violated accepted cultural and biblical norms. I looked the other way if someone disparaged someone who dressed a certain way, had a relationship with a certain someone, showed interest in someone of the same gender, or even did something like read the wrong kind of book. I wasn’t necessarily judging that person, but I wouldn’t say something even when it made me uncomfortable. I either didn’t think it was my battle or, worse still, decided I wasn’t willing to put my own reputation or theological neck on the line for someone who was acting in such ways. While I certainly understand why I was quieter as a younger Christian, I’m not comfortable today with the way I acted.

As an older Christian, I have long since come to realize that the way I treat other people is directly related to the way I relate to Jesus. I knew that I needed to treat others how I wanted to be treated, but I didn’t understand what it meant. I deny Christ when I hide behind a veil of cowardice when injustice rears an ugly head. I deny Christ when I just stand there without a whisper.

Our church is offering a short-term Bible study for the season of Lent. While many studies for the season traditionally focus on spiritual practices or on the stories of holy week, this year we are reading “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple” by Rev. Adam Hamilton. The idea of the study is that we might consider how we follow Christ in our lives while considering the life of this flawed follower. These blog posts are designed with a principle I have learned from recovery work: “We identify with the stories of others and try not to contrast.” We grow more and live with greater serenity when we look for what we share in common with someone with whom we might otherwise disagree.

The Kingdom on Earth

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“Peter’s confession of faith, that Jesus was the Christ, the King, the son of the living God, was the conviction upon which Christ’s church would be built. But implicit in this confession of faith is the central focus of Jesus’ preaching and teaching: the Kingdom of God in which God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Rev. Adam Hamilton, “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple”

What does it mean the Kingdom of God is to be done on earth as it is in heaven? What does it mean when we ask people to wait for things to be set right in the world to come? What if we want other people to wait for things that we ourselves would demand in their shoes? Intentionally, let me allude to the questions of Rev. Dr. King in the Letter from a Birmingham Jail: what happens when the admonition that others should wait is just a pretty way of implying that something may never happen?

The Kingdom of God is definitely found within the realm of heaven. It wouldn’t seem to be very heavenly if the abode of God were as chaotic as it is here on earth. One day, Revelation tells us that the abode of God will be here. Certainly, things will be good and heavenly on earth then.

What about today? What about here? What about now?

Lots of people advise that the best thing to do is to wait. Surely, time will heal all wounds, right? Surely the people being mistreated will one day find justice or the people being deceived will open their eyes. Wait. Wait. Wait…

Being asked to wait while injustice takes place is cold comfort. Rev. Hamilton asks us to consider what God would have our local communities do in this life? When people ask churches to define what they want the future to look like, there’s often a description of a church full of people and families that are happy. Describing a church full of people is a description and it may be what God wants, but why are those people there? Who are they called to be right here and right now? Why are they assembled? Why are they here?

If the Kingdom of God is to begin here, what is it supposed to be doing? What is called to be in this life?

Our church is offering a short-term Bible study for the season of Lent. While many studies for the season traditionally focus on spiritual practices or on the stories of holy week, this year we are reading “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple” by Rev. Adam Hamilton. The idea of the study is that we might consider how we follow Christ in our lives while considering the life of this flawed follower. These blog posts are designed with a principle I have learned from recovery work: “We identify with the stories of others and try not to contrast.” We grow more and live with greater serenity when we look for what we share in common with someone with whom we might otherwise disagree.

The Foundations

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“In a sense, we’re all laying a foundation upon which the lives and faith of others is being built. If you are a parent or grandparent, you are laying a foundation for your children and grandchildren’s lives. If you are a schoolteacher, you are doing the same for your students. If you are in leadership in business or in politics or in some other arena of life, you are laying a foundation for those you are influencing, those looking up to you, and those coming after you. Every time you encourage, teach, or invest in the life of someone else, you are laying a foundation. We are all Petros in some way or another, hopefully helping to lay a good foundation upon which others develop and grow.”

Rev. Adam Hamilton, “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple”

What does it mean to lay a foundation? In the season of Lent, we do all sorts of interesting things. Some of us avoid eating meat on Fridays or eating chocolates. Others avoid behaviors like watching television or listening to the radio. For some, Lent comes alongside a long history of behaviors that we might accept as a part of life.

Who laid the foundation for what we experienced? When did it become normal for us? Do we think about the roots of our behaviors and actions? Do we consider how we are teaching and rooting such behaviors in the lives of other people?

As I think about the foundations I lay for other people, I have to be honest with myself. I sometimes lay a good foundation for other people. My kids have seen me do my best to not become frustrated with my former partner, to stand up for my own safety, and to treat other people with care even as I am personally frustrated with the circumstances of life. They also have seen the way I act when I am driving throughout downtown Ithaca.

For me, this calling to consider the foundations that I am laying for others extends to my life’s profession. I have recently been trying to expand my regular Sunday morning announcements to move past telling everyone they are welcome to explicitly state that we welcome people from outside the church to come, listen, and find welcome within our community. It is challenging, at least in my head, to state that word of welcome while not compromising the integrity of worship.

We want people to come and hear the gospel. To do so requires that we open the door wide enough for those outside to stick their heads in the door and see what’s happening inside the doors of the church. I seek to extend that welcome even as I seek to avoid watering down the essence of worship. We want people to be welcome, but this isn’t performance art. We want people to learn about our faith, but we’re not actors teaching by playing roles. We want to lay a foundation of welcome while remembering that we believe in something concrete that calls us to lives that have challenges as well as celebrations.

We lay the way by setting a foundation for others in what we teach, what we preach, and how we live. Just as we teach our children by example in both good and bad ways, we seek to live in community in good ways even as we recognize the challenging ways we fall short. The foundations we lay do matter.

Our church is offering a short-term Bible study for the season of Lent. While many studies for the season traditionally focus on spiritual practices or on the stories of holy week, this year we are reading “Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple” by Rev. Adam Hamilton. The idea of the study is that we might consider how we follow Christ in our lives while considering the life of this flawed follower. These blog posts are designed with a principle I have learned from recovery work: “We identify with the stories of others and try not to contrast.” We grow more and live with greater serenity when we look for what we share in common with someone with whom we might otherwise disagree.