I have often thought that the relationships we have with each other is perhaps the main reason we come together as a church family. When I was in college, I wrote that Jesus came to teach twelve men what friendship could really be – and with that knowledge, they changed the world.
But I have suspected that people sometimes feel guilty or embarrassed to admit that a primary reason for coming to church is to be with friends – except when they may have been looking to meet someone – then our culture smiles on that (as being a much better place to meet someone significant than in a bar or other ‘social’ situation). But what I’m talking about is the reason to come together week after week throughout a lifetime. I say it’s for the friendship we share.
Other words are used: fellowship, community, prayerful support, holy ‘hugs and kisses’ and so on. Can it be that God’s essential truth and being – love – can be made known and shared in such a simple way? I believe it is true, because love is the essence of our faith – and scripture assures us that God is love, and that our love for each other is what sets us apart as disciples. Why do we experience such love at church and not elsewhere? I think commitment is part of it – we are truly a family of friends. And we share together all the most significant parts of our lives, from birth to death and all the life that lies between.
This is, of course, still a form of human love, but is patterned on a higher example that has been set for us by God – and shown to us in human form by Jesus. In the very first accounts of creation, remember that after God has made all the things that make up the world, there was something missing. Teacher, poet, and hymn-writer James Weldon Johnson has God saying, “I am lonely… I will make me a man” (God’s Trombones - “The Creation”). This suggests that the purpose of creation was to have relationship.
Many of you know we lost a friend of almost eighteen years on March 15. He became a devoted companion and loyal friend, and though he was of another species, he also was a creature that personified relationship, and that is, in whatever form or circumstance, holy. We’ve been reluctant to put away his food and water bowl that sat on our family room floor for so many years. Even with creation’s “very least” relationship doesn’t end or die.
From the least to the greatest, love and relationship are God’s way of being and are holy.
In a pattern that God originated in the very beginnings of the Universe, relationship is holy and eternal - the sharing of love and association between souls or sentient beings. We all know examples of people who have made lifetime commitments to each other and who may be said to have laid out their lives for one another. Jesus said this was a paragon of love and devotion. It goes beyond the boundaries of sex, race, and maybe even species in our understanding and experience of love. Relationship is by God, from God, and of God. What God has enabled in relationship, let no one seek to prevent or put asunder.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Diversity Has Always Been a Very Important but Elusive Quality for Christians
My dad’s hero was Abe Lincoln. I marveled at that being an unlikely choice for my dad – growing up as he did in the 20s in rural Texas – only 50 years after the Civil War and the ‘reconstruction’ that followed. But Lincoln’s legacy lived on for my dad and many others -- even in the South.
Mr. Lincoln was always an unlikely candidate, but it became apparent that the nation needed him -- as it tried to deal with a divisiveness that showed up clearly even before the country’s founding, when the drafters of the Constitution argued over slavery amid contentious feelings between the northern and southern colonists. Some historians have claimed that only one-third supported the American revolution, one-third were loyal to Britain, and one-third were non-committal or indifferent. However, by 1865, few if any had feelings of indifference about the significant cultural differences (slavery was ‘only’ one) between the rural south and the more urbanized north -- where the much-heralded “melting pot” was already underway.
Our families were part of that exploding diversity. With names like Lougee and Unger, our great-grandfathers represented different areas of Europe and settled in New England and the South, respectively. Members of these families, as well as those of the Mitchell and Smith families, eventually migrated to Texas and the rest is our history. The Lougees had a mill in New Hampshire, and my grandpa Unger worked as a conductor for the Cotton Belt Railroad in Texas. My dad’s uncle in Uvalde, Texas, did genealogical study that showed two Mitchell boys were killed fighting for the Confederacy -- and in Exeter, Maine, Sandy and I found the headstones of two Lougee boys who died fighting on the Union side.
In the South, we were taught that slavery was only part of the reason for the war. Other more ‘important’ issues were economic survival and states’ rights. Much has been written also about the ‘plantation culture’ and southern aristocracy, but I suspect that southerners of the time were far more likely to be poor than part of any aristocracy – and very likely to consider themselves quite different from their industrialized northern neighbors. Most Protestant denominations, including Baptists, split into northern and southern groups. It took the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – in which I was ordained -- another forty years to do so, but by then the division became more clearly urban vs. rural, with all the diverse viewpoints those lifestyles typically involve.
Interestingly, both the northern and southern branches of churches have strived to limit or deny diversity in maintaining their quest for the ‘one New Testament church’ for many years after they split. Today most scholars recognize there were many different models of the church in existence during the first two centuries. The Apostle Paul’s churches in Asia Minor differed radically from each other and from the Jerusalem church. There was extreme resistance to Paul’s insistence on full equality for Gentile Christians, as recorded in Galatians, other of his letters, and in Acts. In truth, Paul died fighting for diversity, and that struggle may be seen as the central historical theme of the New Testament.
Mr. Lincoln was always an unlikely candidate, but it became apparent that the nation needed him -- as it tried to deal with a divisiveness that showed up clearly even before the country’s founding, when the drafters of the Constitution argued over slavery amid contentious feelings between the northern and southern colonists. Some historians have claimed that only one-third supported the American revolution, one-third were loyal to Britain, and one-third were non-committal or indifferent. However, by 1865, few if any had feelings of indifference about the significant cultural differences (slavery was ‘only’ one) between the rural south and the more urbanized north -- where the much-heralded “melting pot” was already underway.
Our families were part of that exploding diversity. With names like Lougee and Unger, our great-grandfathers represented different areas of Europe and settled in New England and the South, respectively. Members of these families, as well as those of the Mitchell and Smith families, eventually migrated to Texas and the rest is our history. The Lougees had a mill in New Hampshire, and my grandpa Unger worked as a conductor for the Cotton Belt Railroad in Texas. My dad’s uncle in Uvalde, Texas, did genealogical study that showed two Mitchell boys were killed fighting for the Confederacy -- and in Exeter, Maine, Sandy and I found the headstones of two Lougee boys who died fighting on the Union side.
In the South, we were taught that slavery was only part of the reason for the war. Other more ‘important’ issues were economic survival and states’ rights. Much has been written also about the ‘plantation culture’ and southern aristocracy, but I suspect that southerners of the time were far more likely to be poor than part of any aristocracy – and very likely to consider themselves quite different from their industrialized northern neighbors. Most Protestant denominations, including Baptists, split into northern and southern groups. It took the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – in which I was ordained -- another forty years to do so, but by then the division became more clearly urban vs. rural, with all the diverse viewpoints those lifestyles typically involve.
Interestingly, both the northern and southern branches of churches have strived to limit or deny diversity in maintaining their quest for the ‘one New Testament church’ for many years after they split. Today most scholars recognize there were many different models of the church in existence during the first two centuries. The Apostle Paul’s churches in Asia Minor differed radically from each other and from the Jerusalem church. There was extreme resistance to Paul’s insistence on full equality for Gentile Christians, as recorded in Galatians, other of his letters, and in Acts. In truth, Paul died fighting for diversity, and that struggle may be seen as the central historical theme of the New Testament.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Inclusivity Marks the Promise of a New Year at Shell Ridge Church
(from Shell Ridge "Ridge Runner" - February, 2009 issue)
Shell Ridge is now an officially welcoming and affirming church – as it has been for the last fifteen years, though not officially designated as such until now. We have had openly gay and lesbian members, both single and in relationships, openly and actively involved in our membership since 1994.
It may be of interest that there are now nearly 5,000 churches in the U.S. that are open to gay and lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered members. They are known by a variety of names, including Welcoming & Affirming (American Baptists), Open and Affirming (UCC and Disciples), Reconciling (United Methodists), 'More Light' (Presbyterians), 'inclusive' and others. In this area alone, there are more than 300 churches, including congregations in Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Danville, Pleasanton, Livermore, Sunol, Benicia, Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Oakland, Piedmont, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Napa, Vacaville, Vallejo, and other Bay Area cities. The Northern California region of the United Church of Christ (UCC) is the first region to have more than 50% of its churches Open and Affirming.
I have listed all these because I have found that people generally don't know too much about other churches, except perhaps for a few where friends may attend. The fact is that the presence of "Open and Affirming" churches (the most commonly used term) in California urban areas has become ubiquitous, with more than 700 congregations.
It is now of more significance if a church is NOT open to people of sexual minorities. Such a lack of openness is generally considered an indication of a parochial or insular world view, and younger people are rejecting of such views in much the same way they're distrustful or disinterested in traditional denominational affiliations. People are increasingly looking to churches for an inclusive representation of and sensitivity to the real-world life situations and needs of people in the surrounding community.
We need not be apprehensive or apologetic for responding to a changed need for inclusivity in our outreach. It is solidly within the tradition of our church and its membership, as we have a history of openness to people in our area. We've welcomed people of different races, backgrounds, religious traditions and philosophies, There is a banner on the bottom of our website home page that proclaims, "Come Unto Me," referring to Jesus' invitation to all people.
I think one of the best arguments for inclusivity is stated by some who object to inclusion of those who must talk about what they do in the privacy of their homes. That is an excellent reason that one's sex life should NOT be at issue or a requirement for membership. And similarly one argument against same-sex marriage calls gay people "promiscuous." But I'm at a loss to know why those who seek to marry and commit their lives to each other aren't seen as acceptable to a society that values such commitment and devotion.
In 5,000 churches, Christians have determined that people are not defined by their sex or sexuality – believing with Paul that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28 NIV).
Shell Ridge is now an officially welcoming and affirming church – as it has been for the last fifteen years, though not officially designated as such until now. We have had openly gay and lesbian members, both single and in relationships, openly and actively involved in our membership since 1994.
It may be of interest that there are now nearly 5,000 churches in the U.S. that are open to gay and lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered members. They are known by a variety of names, including Welcoming & Affirming (American Baptists), Open and Affirming (UCC and Disciples), Reconciling (United Methodists), 'More Light' (Presbyterians), 'inclusive' and others. In this area alone, there are more than 300 churches, including congregations in Walnut Creek, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Danville, Pleasanton, Livermore, Sunol, Benicia, Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Oakland, Piedmont, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Napa, Vacaville, Vallejo, and other Bay Area cities. The Northern California region of the United Church of Christ (UCC) is the first region to have more than 50% of its churches Open and Affirming.
I have listed all these because I have found that people generally don't know too much about other churches, except perhaps for a few where friends may attend. The fact is that the presence of "Open and Affirming" churches (the most commonly used term) in California urban areas has become ubiquitous, with more than 700 congregations.
It is now of more significance if a church is NOT open to people of sexual minorities. Such a lack of openness is generally considered an indication of a parochial or insular world view, and younger people are rejecting of such views in much the same way they're distrustful or disinterested in traditional denominational affiliations. People are increasingly looking to churches for an inclusive representation of and sensitivity to the real-world life situations and needs of people in the surrounding community.
We need not be apprehensive or apologetic for responding to a changed need for inclusivity in our outreach. It is solidly within the tradition of our church and its membership, as we have a history of openness to people in our area. We've welcomed people of different races, backgrounds, religious traditions and philosophies, There is a banner on the bottom of our website home page that proclaims, "Come Unto Me," referring to Jesus' invitation to all people.
I think one of the best arguments for inclusivity is stated by some who object to inclusion of those who must talk about what they do in the privacy of their homes. That is an excellent reason that one's sex life should NOT be at issue or a requirement for membership. And similarly one argument against same-sex marriage calls gay people "promiscuous." But I'm at a loss to know why those who seek to marry and commit their lives to each other aren't seen as acceptable to a society that values such commitment and devotion.
In 5,000 churches, Christians have determined that people are not defined by their sex or sexuality – believing with Paul that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28 NIV).
Monday, January 5, 2009
“A Christmas Reflection” by Rev. Rick Mitchell
(from Shell Ridge "Ridge Runner" - January, 2009 issue)
In our family when I was growing up, we had a custom of reading the gospel of Luke’s account of the Christmas story before we opened gifts around the Christmas tree each year. You know, that’s the familiar Scripture that tells of the shepherds in the fields, to whom the angels appeared – “and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” Whenever this was read in my family, we would have to pause and chuckle, remembering a little child in our church who read this verse in a Christmas pageant as “they were shore afraid.”
During my college years, like many young people, I was searching for new meaning in old, familiar religious practices. I even found myself reading the Bible from time to time. One year, before Christmas, I was reading some of the other scriptures about the Christmas story, and I came upon the one that was read in part in our December 14 service, Luke 1:26-35, 46-50. This beautiful reflection of Mary includes the Magnificat, her response to the angel Gabriel who came to tell her she had been chosen to bear the Christ-child into the world.
Mary was surely tried and tested by this experience, as she was young and not married. Her response to the angel was the same one the Samaritan woman at the well gave Jesus: "I have no husband." Like her son to come, she would be compelled to say, "I was despised and rejected of men." Luke says she was with her cousin Elizabeth for about three months before the baby was due. It was during that time of isolation and reflection that Mary received her vision.
“My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation…”
The sheer beauty of this wonderful passage captured me that Christmas. It spoke of a private moment when Mary first realized that through her a gift would be given to all people. For me, it brought the Christmas experience, sharing gifts with others, a newly personal meaning. I had always believed that giving gifts was an authentic part of Christmas – because it was a way of sharing our love with others who were dear to us. But these verses told me that long before the giving of our gifts, another richer and more profound gift was given – the never-ending love of God – and that it can be shared only through the giving of ourselves to the needs of others.
We can give because we have received the love and forgiveness of a God who redeems us. God loves, forgives, and uses imperfect people. That too is the Christmas message.
In our family when I was growing up, we had a custom of reading the gospel of Luke’s account of the Christmas story before we opened gifts around the Christmas tree each year. You know, that’s the familiar Scripture that tells of the shepherds in the fields, to whom the angels appeared – “and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” Whenever this was read in my family, we would have to pause and chuckle, remembering a little child in our church who read this verse in a Christmas pageant as “they were shore afraid.”
During my college years, like many young people, I was searching for new meaning in old, familiar religious practices. I even found myself reading the Bible from time to time. One year, before Christmas, I was reading some of the other scriptures about the Christmas story, and I came upon the one that was read in part in our December 14 service, Luke 1:26-35, 46-50. This beautiful reflection of Mary includes the Magnificat, her response to the angel Gabriel who came to tell her she had been chosen to bear the Christ-child into the world.
Mary was surely tried and tested by this experience, as she was young and not married. Her response to the angel was the same one the Samaritan woman at the well gave Jesus: "I have no husband." Like her son to come, she would be compelled to say, "I was despised and rejected of men." Luke says she was with her cousin Elizabeth for about three months before the baby was due. It was during that time of isolation and reflection that Mary received her vision.
“My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation…”
The sheer beauty of this wonderful passage captured me that Christmas. It spoke of a private moment when Mary first realized that through her a gift would be given to all people. For me, it brought the Christmas experience, sharing gifts with others, a newly personal meaning. I had always believed that giving gifts was an authentic part of Christmas – because it was a way of sharing our love with others who were dear to us. But these verses told me that long before the giving of our gifts, another richer and more profound gift was given – the never-ending love of God – and that it can be shared only through the giving of ourselves to the needs of others.
We can give because we have received the love and forgiveness of a God who redeems us. God loves, forgives, and uses imperfect people. That too is the Christmas message.
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