take and eat (part 2)

I've had my follow-up reflections to Sara Miles' "take this bread" on my backburner for weeks now.  Finally getting around to finishing it up!  (I kind of cheated - used a lot of text I had already written for a school report - apologies for it reading that way, just figured I'd share...)

Earlier, I reflected on Sara's experience of the mystery of the Eucharist as what drew her in.  Now I want to reflect on her experience of church leading out from that moment.  I call this experience an "exercise in prophetic imagination" (not directly related to the Bruggeman book, which I haven't read but am sure it's awesome.)


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Drawing In (Chapter 8 – Histories)
Mainline Protestant churches often get so preoccupied with programs and liturgy that they don’t often notice the new people that can walk through the doors searching for something that speaks anew. Even current church members can get locked into the "same way" of doing things, where the prophetic imagination is lost.
Sara was drawn into the church because of a vibrant and expressive liturgy. She explains that the pastors of the church she started attending saw themselves as “messengers and prophets, with a call to save the church from its mindlessly rote worship, its autopilot traditions, and deadening clericalism” (77-78). The liturgy was led by a mixture of laypeople, giving a great visible symbol of the priesthood of all believers. Detailed explanations preceded all elements of liturgy, so that newcomers and outsiders would not be lost. Above all of these elements in liturgy is intentionality with the Eucharist focusing on radical inclusivity and focus on feeding strangers. This weekly practice is what drew Sara in and what she sees as a focal point for the church.

Discovering Prophetic Imagination (Chapter 11 – Good Works)
Prophetic imagination means seeking out the need in the community and the proper response of the congregation. Seeing the poverty and hunger in her community, Sara felt a call to create a food pantry out of the church. She believed this was an extension of the centrality of the Eucharist. With this vision, the next step was communication with the congregation. Sara found it frustrating that a church so open to unique liturgy was so resistant to actually living out such a project at first (109). She found support in another church member who became frustrated that the church was terrified of people who were not like them, opting to only do church meals for those currently in the church (110). They crafted a vision for the program, explaining it as “another way of being church—though one that didn’t demand belief or expect people to pray. It wasn’t a social service program but a service, modeled on the liturgy of the Eucharist,” (113).
The process became messy once Sara tried to draw the congregation into the idea. She met a lot of resistance from staff and church members after proposing the idea, largely centered around the dangers of homeless people in a sacred church building (117).

Navigating Prophetic Imagination (Chapter 14 – Gleaners)
Sara’s church became a vibrant place for ministry for the first months of its existence. Her prophetic imagination was becoming a reality. However, growing pains emerged soon as the pantry sought identity and its relationship to the congregation. Sara speaks of the constant struggle of offering a safe refuge versus maintaining a small community of the church (141).
Sara received several emails from congregants and church staff who were growing more and more uncomfortable with the effects of homeless people hanging around (150). There were also issues with the growing numbers at the pantry and thus growing frustrations and problems. They decided to press onward with the trust that God would provide. A defining moment comes at the anniversary of the food bank as volunteers and guests gather for a celebration of the Eucharist. They gather and sing in a moment that gave a lot of encouragement and hope for the food bank.
Radical visions of church can often get lost in conversation. We forget the calling to take risks for the sake of being prophets of Christ's love.

Prophetic Imagination in the Church (Chapter 18 – Manna, Chapter 19 – Misfits)
The food pantry began to grow as new days of the week were added to feed more people. Sara’s calling into this new ministry led her to work with congregational development to help churches look at creating food pantries. She explains frustrations with the constant unwillingness to take on new ministries: “It was as if the very habits of churchgoing had stripped away people’s capacity to take authority and do things on their own.” (204).

Sara had initially discovered church because of the willingness of the church to accept something new, her drive to create something new, and the growing community of volunteers and guests that were creating this new vision for church. A new community had been built alongside the church through the people Sara encountered. She describes their vision for church: “They wanted, in fact, church: not the kind where you sit obediently and listen to someone tell you how to behave but the kind where you discover responsibility, purpose, meaning…where they could find community.” (214).

All those involved with the food pantry found Sara’s church to be their church. Although many were not members, they still saw the initiative Sara’s prophetic imagination formed as their church. The ability to seek out new ways of expressing church to outsiders was the initial move that led to this exciting new ministry.
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The Holy Spirit breathes through the church constantly.  When we fail to acknowledge the new opportunities God is putting in our path, we are failing to take risks for the working of the Holy Spirit.  A church should remain open to transformation.  A church should be radically hospitable in drawing in those with the power to lead the church in prophetic imagination.  May we be willing to risk and hope for the new things God is calling us to in the church and beyond!

roots

As mentioned in my earlier post, I had the opportunity to join a BSM volunteer group this past week as they went out to West Philadelphia.  It was refreshing for me to experience a different part of Philadelphia, particularly other areas of deep poverty.  There's kind of a lot of it in this city.  We volunteered through a group called WePAC (west philadelphia alliance for children), serving an elementary school in a really rough part of town.

Their statistics are staggering.

As you can imagine, these were difficult kids, even though we only worked with k-2nd grade.
Capturing their attention was difficult, and when given the chance, they would run EVERYWHERE.  The teachers were simply amazing - their commitment to these kids and the respect they maintained were highly impressive.  Teachers out there, I salute you.  This brief experienced reinforced to me how much the home life negatively affects these kids.  The signs can be suttle, but SO informative about how kids grow up to have so many problems.

1. Parents brought their kids in to school throughout the day.  There was no sense of punctuality.  This was a reflection of greater issues of little to no parental involvement in the school.

2. A popular game of kindergardeners at recess was robbing a bank.  They really enjoyed having "shoot outs"

3. I observed a project that was posted in the hall from a class writing about whether they would have a whale or a cat as a pet.  A vast majority selected a whale because a cat "would not hurt them."

I use these examples NOT to say "shame on them for being bad," but to remind you all that you are born into systems.  To those of you who wonder why poor people can't "climb out" of poverty and "stop getting arrested," take some time to visit schools such as these.  You will come to realize that the roots of these problems lie in how kids grow up.

Think of your own life.  The fact that you are reading this post right now means you've had a wealthy enough upbringing to have a computer and most likely GREAT access to thinks like education and...HEALTHCARE.  "Being grateful for what you have" is so much more than being thankful to your mom and dad.  It should be about recognizing that you are born into your situation and life should be about giving ALL people EQUAL opportunity.

Check out the link to WePAC above again and think about the statistics.  Schools in impoverished areas have VERY SMALL amounts of funds to spend on their schools.  Do the research.  Realize the poison in the roots.  Realize the calling we have to work toward equal opportunities for kids such as these.

helpless

"Know what the sin of the Pharisees was?  They didn't take action."

This was an intial reaction to one of the most difficult situations I've found myself in since being in Philadelphia this year.  It happened on a trolley going towards West Philadelphia.  This week, I've been helping with a college group that has given up their spring break to volunteer at BSM and around the city.  The past few days we've been going to a rough elementary school to volunteer.  Stories to come about that experience later...

So anyway, THIS story takes place before we even get to the school today.  We're heading westward on the trolley when all of a sudden we all smell something that assails our nostrils in the worst way possible.  We soon realize that it's coming from a man who just entered the back door of the trolley, not paying the fare.  A group of 4-5 boys sitting in the back of the bus immediately get up and move towards the front.  The old man mumbles something unintelligible, though it sounds like he says something about "hurt my feelings."

After a couple more stops, the driver stops the trolley, stands up, looks towards the back and says "You gots to go!" Snickers erupt from the trolley.  The man continues to mumble, and is defiant about not getting off the trolley.  Another driver who was riding with us gets off the tram, yelling, "you stink" to the man from outside.  Another man on board gets very upset, saying that if the guy doesn't get off, he's going to make him get off.  Someone hails a nearby policeman, at which point the defiant man finally gets off the bus.  The riders hail insults at him as he gets off.  We continue to be glued to our seats, dead silent.

I check in with the group once we get off the trolley.  We're all a bit rattled after the horrible display of hate we just witnessed.  Despite the man's demeanor and appearance, there was NO reason for him to be treated the way he was.  And we felt crummy for not stepping up. We felt like those who passed by the guy attacked by robbers on the side of the road.  We did not take action, did not care for the least of these in that moment.

Situations like these are extremely complex.  A perfect response is impossible.  Intervening can only agitate already unstable people and make situations worse.  If we weren't in such shock, we could have engaged the defiant man and invited him to get off the trolley WITH us, lying down to suffer with those under ridicule and hate.

We're not perfect.  We do the best we can.  This is an unfortunate reminder of our human condition and our need for a deeper hope and love among one another.  Saying the right thing to do is easy.  But making it happen is so much more difficult.  We've all got a long way to go.

take and eat (part 1)

I'll start this one out with a joke!

A church bus of Presbyterians drove off a cliff one day (greatest opener ever).  When they all walked up to St. Pete in heaven, he welcomed them and brought them inside the gates.  "Heaven is divided into floors based on denomination.  Presbyterians are on the 4th floor, so please file in the elevator and I'll take you up!" The crowd followed St. Pete inside the elevator and it began to move (use your imagination for what the elevator music would have been). "Oh I almost forgot," exclaimed St. Pete, "When we're passing the 3rd floor, DON'T MAKE A NOISE." With confused faces, the Presbyterians followed suit until the doors finally opened on the 4th floor and the filed out.  One of them asked St. Pete what that was all about and he said, "well you see, the Baptists are on the 3rd floor, and they think they're the only ones here!"

Apologies to my Baptist friends!  Know I love you all dearly!  I use this joke not to rip on them, but rather to encourage the notion that ALL Christians tend to think in this manner from time to time.  We tend to think we are the epitome of Christendom.  Those of us who have grown up in the church tend to forget that there are people out there who haven't.  Understandings of salvation aside, there is a distinct church culture among us that acts more like an insider club than radical followers of Christ's message.  We tend to forget those among us that are seeking and wishing for a place to exercise their questions of faith.

Now, I point out these "unchurched" NOT in the sense it is often used: "save them so they don't go to hell," but rather, to encourage my fellow church folk that by NOT acknowledging such people, you are NOT practicing hospitality and more importantly, you are NOT allowing them to come in and transform the church as the spirit leads them.

Enter "Take This Bread" by Sara Miles

Sara Miles, a lesbian left-wing journalist who grew up atheist, wrote this "spiritual memoir of a twenty-first-century Christian" to speak of her experience with God.  Growing up, she speaks of an education based in physical experience and questioning, which led her to distrust dogma (14).  Out of this, it's not hard to understand why someone like her would have grown up with a bad taste in her mouth for "the church" that told her exactly what she should believe instead of encouraging her questions and doubts.

This is the story of so many in our culture: questions and doubts.  By avoiding these questions and doubts, are we not avoiding encouraging a deeper understanding of the gospel?  Have we forgotten the glory of the mysteries of God?

One day, Sara walked into a church in time for Communion, the Eucharist.  It was in this moment she experienced Christianity in a way she couldn't explain.  She writes: "There was the immediacy of communion at St. Gregory's, unmediated by altar rails, the raw physicality of that mystical meal.  There was an invitation to jump in rather than official entrance requirements.  There was the suggestion that God could be located in experienced, sensed through bodies, tasted in food; that my body was connected literally and mysteriously to other bodies and loved without reason" (64).  The physical components and mystical nature of Communion are what drew her into the Christian faith.  There was a recognition that Christianity was about humans, in flesh in blood, on earth to feed one another.  There is also a recognition of mystery in this moment, a desire to pursue and dwell within the great mysteries of God's love.  

The Breaking of bread as a lens to experience God's mysteries is nothing new.  Even in Scripture, the risen Christ was not recognized by his disciples until after the breaking of bread:

"When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’" -Luke 24:30-32

The disciples do not gain an immediate understanding of all things Christianity at this moment.  They simply recognize it is Christ.  This causes them to question their state, "could that have been Christ that caused us to desire more?" We encounter a recognition of physicality and mystery in this moment.  It's a dichotomy that only urges our continued questioning guided by faith, not our dogma and assertions of absolute truth.  Sara explains her state following that first Eucharist: "I went to church, heart pounding, and tried to figure out why"(64).  Deep down, are us "churched" folk not the exact same way?  Every day, a quest to understand the deeper mysteries of faith?

The Eucharist is central to worship at BSM.  When those gathered come to receive the bread and juice, they are told that they ARE welcome to this table and that there IS enough grace (bread) to go around.  They are encouraged to take big chunks of bread.  They do so because they desire this physicality of the body of Christ and wish to seek the deeper mysteries of God.

When we get in "churchy" mode and forget to allow the working of questioning and doubt...when we don't allow the broken bread to work it's mysteries within us and others...when we tell people we have God figured out and forget to allow others in our midst...when we forget that the physical notion of bread is an invitation to feed others in our midst...we do a great disservice to the kingdom of God!

During this season of lent, may we be intentional about the meaning of the Eucharist.

*I will be posting more thoughts on this book later!

shackled: Ash Wednesday

Know those moments when you are hit by the immensity of an experience that is much deeper than you realize?

I had one tonight in our BSM Ash Wednesday Service.  It happened in the freakin' PRELUDE even!



I was assisting in leading music tonight in this special Ash Wednesday service.  Joining me was a regular BSM musician, Michael, who you see playing the keyboard.  I had told him to play something as people were coming in.  The man playing percussion (confidentiality being kept - will be referred to as "T" for tambourine), is also a regular BSM musician.  He loves the church and loves playing percussion.  Whenever a service is taking place, he is ready to jump in and assist, even when it's not specifically asked for or needed.  Sometimes it fits very nicely, other times it's pretty awkward.  This time it blew me away for some reason.

Part of this reaction was the messyness.  T was having a hard time following Michael's rhythm.  This sounded a little messy.  The sound of the tambourine was also very significant.  It sounded like someone walking with chains around their ankles.  The Ash Wednesday theme is on "captivity," so I found that realization to also be very eerie and moving.  A third reason for my reaction was based in my knowledge of T, someone in captivity to obvious suffering in life, yet set FREE by playing music.

This is Ash Wednesday.

We are held captive by the frailty of life and brokenness of living.  We suffer, we struggle, we die.  Life is ugly and messy.

However, we are MARKED by God.  This is represented in the ashes in the form of a cross.  God holds us and frees us to live faithful lives marked by gifts we have been given.  Recognition of this fact in the face of our captivity is how we can prepare ourselves for Lent.

The traditional practice of giving something up for Lent seems to ignore God's claim on our frail lives.  Lent is not about what we can do to make ourselves more "penitent," but rather, how we can recognize our brokenness in light of God's grace.  Lent should transform our lives and give us purpose.

Our lives are messy, like the sound of the tambourine.  Yet using these gifts that make us alive in Christ are how we can live out the message of Lent.  It doesn't matter how good the sound is, even if it's messy.  All that matters is that we PLAY.

"sing with your head upwith your eyes closed;
not because you love the song,
because you love to sing
because you love to sing"



Let the song of T and Michael be our soundtrack for this season

Shelter within the SNOWPOCALYPSE

I grew up in Georgia.  When magical white powder appeared from the sky every 2-3 years in a given summer, the city would SHUT DOWN.  We didn't even bother watching the news about school closings because we knew it was a given.  We would gather the next day at whatever hills we could find (In Augusta this usually equated to golf courses), bringing whatever pans and trash lids we had lying around the house (the kneeboard was often the best choice), and careen headfirst down the steepest looking snow covered hill we could find!

During my freshman year of college in South Carolina, we were graced with a very unusual blizzard-turned ice storm that basically froze the entire campus.  Carrying on the good southern tradition of reckless sledding, I joined several guys from my dorm that night for some improv bobsledding.  This equated to a coffee table face down in the middle of the road and a rope tied to a truck.  We would sit 4 deep on the table and get pulled across the road.  All was well until careening towards a road sign threw us off the road and into a ditch, the table busting in half upon impact.

Needless to say, I have always equated snow days with reckless fun, taking advantage of any inclines and slopes around.

Little did I realize that my ONE year spent in the northeast would be the year I would encounter a RECORD snowfall!

Of course, my first instinct is always to go out and make the most of the situation.  Luckily, we had just the slope!

(I didn't make this btw.  Props to whoever did)
Twice I was able to sled down the infamous Rocky Steps.  It wasn't the steepest slope, but it was certainly iconic.  I experienced some wonderful Philadelphians who were partying and sliding down the steps on whatever they could find (sleds, lids, cardboard, air mattresses, skateboards, etc).  I even witnessed a defiant stand against some punks on ATVs who dangerously scaled the steps AS PEOPLE WERE SLEDDING.  Near the top, the drunken masses stood in their way and threw whatever they could at them, forcing them to drive around back towards the bottom in defeat.  Rocky would have been proud.

Here are a few iphone quality pics of our adventure teams:

Several days after the blizzard, the love affair with snow begins to fade.  Having to walk to work over sidewalks that have become solid ice starts to get old.  Being unable to park in many places gets frustrating.  What we get as "days off" in the south are merely "days" in places that expect the snow.

Reality sunk in even deeper when I walked through the midst of the blizzard to get to Broad Street Ministry on Wednesday night.  Although much of the city had shut down, the overnight cafe had remained open for the entirety of that day.  This means that many of the 50-75 homeless guests who stayed over Tuesday night were given a place to stay all day Wednesday and into that following overnight.  The snow I was beginning to see as a nuisance would be a massive issue for those who are stuck out in it all day.  

The cafe system at BSM is part of a larger system all over the city dedicated to providing shelter during the coldest months of the year to the "shelter-resistant" members of society.  This refers to those who are either unable or unwilling to sleep in a homeless shelter (they aren't the safest places and don't always have space for everyone!).  In response to the massive numbers of homeless who were ending up on the streets in the cold weather, a system evolved.  BSM is one of the many hosts of these government funded "cafes" which are set up to basically save lives.

http://www.broadstreetministry.org/programs/shelter315.php

I helped serve dinner and lead Bible study that Wednesday night to people who had for the most part, been in that building all day.  I began to think of the alternative they would be facing if it wasn't for the resolve and creativity of people in the city unwilling to let people suffer.  

We are approaching Lent, the time when many practice "giving something up" for a period of time.  Basically, they are submitting to mild suffering in order to get closer to God.  How about those already suffering?  Is it possible to take on some of their suffering instead of mildly inflicting pain on ourselves? (thanks for the concept DVH)

Where is our resolve and creativity this lenten season?  Are we wasting it all on reckless downhill slopes?

funeral for justice

First off, congrats to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl!  I totally called it.  I find tonight's post relevant in honor of NO, a place with deep poverty, injustice, and damage.  I had the opportunity to travel down there a few months after Katrina with some college friends.  It was very disheartening to see a vacated city and to have to gut people's houses.  Even more disheartening is the poverty that led to the hurricane being so much more disastrous.  There are parallels with Haiti, a place that has suffered from poverty and oppression.

In this light, I offer you guys to check out THIS article.

This article speaks of a budget cut to PA's state budget that was only recently realized.  In an effort to balance a state budget, they decided to cut SSI, the income reserved for the poorest of the poor.  People that only make $500-600 a month were made to suffer even more from budget cuts.

I know this has happened in many states across the US in this economy.  Many would argue that in dire circumstances, ALL must face the negative effects of the economy.  This is a difficult situation and often calls to examine everything relatively.  However, the premise of balancing the budget at expense of the poor is simply unacceptable.  Being in relationship with MANY people on SSI this year has made this decision very real to me.

They sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as upon the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed. (Amos 2:6-7)

Despite the complexity of budget issues, we MUST believe in a better way.



We are called to examine these situations theologically, and as a community of faith, BSM came to realize that this injustice against the poor is NOT what God intends for humanity.

In response, BSM and many friends throughout the city showed up for a demonstration.  As Amos spoke up to the ruling authorities of his time, so did BSM speak up for the poor of the city.  I invite you to CHECK out the pictures.

I know there are many that read my blog who would be disgusted that a church would make such a statement to the state, or engage in something so "disorderly" or "unruly." However, OT prophets were known for speaking the truth of God to the state.  Christ made a few political statements himself ; )

I was unfortunately unable to attend this event due to the seminary roadtrip...however, we are talking about taking this demonstration on to the capital of PA to continue to speak the truth about the plight of the poor.  Do we expect something out of this?  We are not politicians.  We do not control policy.  However, we are people of faith who believe that children of God deserve justice and equality.  We are people of faith who believe that the poor and helpless deserve to be honored.  BSM is not afraid to speak these messages to those in power, much like the OT prophets and Christ himself did.

May we continue to be observant to injustice and become voices that speak on behalf of God's children around the world.