A Different Form of “March Madness

Did you know -- or do you care – that the following events are celebrated by some people (I can’t imagine who or why) in March?

How about “National Pig Day” (1st) or “I Want You to Be Happy Day” (3rd, which also shares the day with “If Pets Had Opposable Thumbs Day”)? Then you’ve got other out-of-this-world events, such as “National Pound Cake Day,” “Multiple Personalities Day” (one of me really enjoys this one; the other me can’t stand it), “National Cheese Doodle Day,” and “National Crown Roast of Pork Day.”

I found it interesting that “Be Nasty Day” was celebrated on March 8th, at the same time “International Women’s Day” was being held. I found it upsetting that the next day was “Panic Day.” Now a real winner falls on the 11th, when we look forward to “Middle Name Pride Day.”

“Worship Tools Day” had me confused. I wasn’t sure what it meant, until I visited the website (sure, everyone and everything has a website). Now maybe because I’m dense or because I’m writing this for a “church blog,” I saw the word “Worship” as the key term in the phrase. And I assumed the day recognized the “tools” used in the “worship process.” Not at all. In no way. The site made it clear that the day was about “worshiping tools.” Perhaps I really am dense.

Well, this entire silliness can get carried away. As the month of March creeps along, we have the opportunity to celebrate “Alfred Hitchcock Day,” “National Baked Scallops Day,” “Ear Muff Day,” “National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day,” “National Potato Chip Day,” “National Save a Spider Day,” “Dumbstruck Day” (which I thought was a daily occurrence), “Everything You Think Is Wrong Day,” which is followed by “Everything You Do Is Right Day,” then “Awkward Moments Day,” “Extraterrestrial Abduction Day,” “National Goof Off Day,” topped only by the dynamic duo of “National Chip and Dip Day” and “National Melba Toast Day” (both on March 23). Then, as the month comes to a close, we have the ever-exciting “National Joe Day,” “Something on a Stick Day,” “Supreme Sacrifice Day,” “Forgive Mom and Dad Day,” “Smoke and Mirrors Day,” “I’m in Control Day,” the ever popular “Bunsen Burner Day,” and finally ending on March 31 with “National ‘She’s Funny That Way Day.”’

Sure, among all this craziness, some truly worthwhile days appear on the calendar:
• Mothers Day
• Girl Scouts Day
• Good Samaritan Day
• Incredible Kid Day

Now, with all that behind me, please allow me to sort of wonder out loud about another reason to celebrate this March. Recently I had an opportunity to attend a crafts festival sponsored by St. Stephen, that hosted professionals and amateurs who work in photography, painting, cloth and leather, ceramics and jewelry. This took lots of time and coordination between and among a number of volunteers. There was the pleasure in seeing success come from all the effort, but not much in the way of any “special recognition.”

On the same day, a CPR course was being run in the Parish Hall. Here were gathered heath care professionals, who with the help of members of our care giving team, were training people of all ages (and there were young people present) to save lives in emergency situations. I don’t see a day set aside to single out these volunteers for recognition.

The more I thought about it, my mind went to all of our members who work Saturdays and Sundays during services to assist with communion and the readings. What about those who offer up their voices in the choir (which, happily seems to be growing), as well the emerging bell choir. This summer will see all manner of volunteers stepping up to help with the various programs offered to members and non-members.

I’m thinking, the list could go on and one (pot luck suppers, Sunday School teachers and assistants, those who spruce up the campus with fresh plants and mulch). Actually, it’s difficult to list them all. Too many to enumerate, without missing or forgetting some (unintentionally).

Well…what’s my point?

We spend lots of time creating days for tons of crazy and often meaningless events and groups and things. I’m asking all who read this to make March 2011 an entire month in which we put our focus on those worthy of recognition: St. Stephen Volunteers. Without them, we’d sink. Without them, lots would go undone. Without them, we wouldn’t be the community we’ve come to be – and will grow to become.

Congratulations VOLUNTEERS. March is dedicated to YOU. Thanks.

Dennis McClellan

A Real Sort of Valentine

The Long View
February 2011

Ok. Truth-telling time. St. Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday. I think it started early for me in elementary school. I remember the kids who always had the cool Valentine’s cards: Spiderman, Superman, or even the highly prized Voltron and Thundercats Valentines. But my mom always shopped at the dollar store for those sorts of things, and I was always sent to school with the frilly generic cards that had hearts and some sort of schmaltzy Hallmark sentiment. It was really emasculating, and I probably need some therapy to get over it!

Then there was high school when I either had a girlfriend (yes—there were a few) and I fretted over the perfect gift, or didn’t have a girlfriend and was sad-so much pressure around one little day that’s supposed to be about amorous love, giving, and sharing that love with another.

Here’s what will blow you away about this holiday: associated with amorous love in the 14th century for unknown reasons, there were three separate priests/bishops who were martyred in the first 500 years or so of the Church’s history. There were no amorous situations, just three separate guys who loved Jesus enough to die for him and who were killed for their love.

Now, in that truth lies an important conversation. But hold on just a minute. We will get there, but not before we answer the so what question for today.

When Arizona Representative Gabby Gifford and 18 others were shot on the morning of January 8th, it affected me. Tucson is where I grew up in a community known for its diverse spirituality, weird brand of liberal conservatism, and generally easy and laid back pace of life.

It was easy for us all to jump to the conclusion that the shooting was politically motivated, something that now appears untrue. The 22-year-old was simply mentally unstable, and there were plenty of warning signs all of which went unheeded. But Sarah Palin’s graphic with gun sights over 22 congressional districts surfaced, and Barack Obama’s campaign speech where he said, “…if you bring a knife, we’ll bring a gun…” were all quickly recalled, and we were reminded how thin the veneer of civilization.

There’s so much disagreement in our nation with the language of revolution floating around everywhere, language that like it or not is simply a step away from violence…because that’s where revolutions go. Violent words and violent rhetoric meant for political posturing quickly gets adopted as physical acts. As Joe Anderson points out in this week’s blog post on The Spirit Porch, it happened 40 years ago and is happening again today. It was the Kent State massacre in Ohio that brought us back to the table and into conversation with each other, and today it’s 19 shot and six dead in Arizona, including a 9-year-old girl.

Why is it that the blood of martyrs seems to be necessary to call us back to our highest sense of ourselves, a perception manifested in what’s best in civilization, structured civil discourse and mostly slow and laborious social change?

The original Valentine’s Day, and the only one ultimately worth paying attention to, climaxed on a garbage heap outside of the gates of Jerusalem in a place called The Skull. And the first Valentine wasn’t a Christian martyr. No, the inscription over his head read, “King of the Jews.”

The real Valentine’s Day is where Jesus shows us in the most practical possible way what Loving God, and Loving People actually looks like. Are you willing to die for your enemies? Jesus was. He died at their hands, forgiving and not condemning them.

So this Valentine’s Day I would like to call us all back to our first vocation of love. Not the amorous schmaltzy kind of love. I want to remind us all who were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and who call ourselves Christian, that the kind of love we are called to demonstrate in civilization is lived out in service, sacrifice, and forgiveness…not hot and angry words.

What do you think? Could this sort of Valentine’s Day change the world? Personally, because of my Lord Jesus, I would like to give it a try.

From our Longwood lanai, God loves you, and I do too!

Pastor Nathan

Simple Love

Valentine’s Day is coming up – a day filled with pleasure for some and apprehension for others. How many children worry that they will be the only one in the class who doesn’t receive a card? How many teens worry and wonder if they will receive a card, or if they should send a card – not to mention presents. How many adults keep florists, restaurants, confectioners, jewelers, very busy and prosperous for this one “special” day in the year?

As a kid, I was lucky – my school required that if children were bringing in Valentine cards for one, they had to bring them in for everyone in the class. From kindergarten through grade eight, I had the wonderful experience, in school, of feeling “liked” and being surrounded by others who looked forward to sharing Valentines, too! The day, in our house, was one that was mostly recognized in school – with my mother participating through her foresightedness by purchasing the packages of “kid cards” for my brothers and I to sign and distribute.

My parents didn’t need to do anything “special” because they demonstrated their love every day by participating in the daily acts of family life. We ate meals together, watched TV together, talked and argued together – all in the surrounding assurance that we had someone at our backs. That’s not to say that we were not also punished for childhood misbehavior – we definitely were – but it is to say that we were assured that parental love would always be ours. We knew that our parents would protect us from want and keep us safe from ourselves and others.

Both of our parents are gone, now, and even into late adulthood I retain the aura of their love. Through their examples I learned how to parent and even how to come to God’s grace. I did nothing to earn their love and devotion – they gave it out of the generosity of their souls, just as God did in giving us the crucified and risen Jesus. When Pastor Nathan talks about Grace, I always have to keep in mind that it’s nothing I merit, nothing I can either earn or reject – God gives it, through Jesus, whether I acknowledge it or not. What a comfort.

Author: Diane Bechtold

Civil Discourse

Three topics to always avoid: sex, religion and politics. No matter how even-handed you try to be, someone will always be genuinely offended by your words on either of the three. So I did religion for my last topic. I might as well do politics for this one.

I started college in Chicago the same week that the Democratic Convention began in 1968. The year that the anti-war movement hit it’s prime. The year that the Chicago police and the Illinois National Guard rioted and jeopardized an entire city with their rage . The year that civil discourse crumbled due to the Left’s disruption of every gathering, from the Convention to college campuses, to Sunday School classes, with their angry chants and fiery rhetoric. And that rhetoric continued to build, and hatred was spewed from every platform, from both the left and from the right in equal measure. Hatred spread throughout this country, and we learned to dismiss and loudly condemn those who disagreed with us. We called down the wrath of God on one another, and claimed the almighty honored only our own view, whatever it was. We gave the green light to vile behavior in support of moral principles, and celebrated our uncompromising righteousness --- until the Ohio National Guard took it upon themselves to open fire on the unarmed students at Kent State University and killed kids in cold blood, on National TV for everyone to see.

Then and only then, in 1970, did the nation sober up and step back from its self-righteous zeal. For the next 25 years we kept our self-righteous bad behavior in check, realizing that civil discourse is our only chance at making this nation work. Ronald Reagan on the right and Tip O’Neil on the left, showed us that we could disagree, yet still share a drink, a story and good fellowship, even friendship. Things were going pretty well.

Then Newt Gingrich decided to become Speaker of the House and re-animated self- righteous anger as the horse he rode to glory. We quickly forgot our hard won lessons, and for the past 15 years civil discourse has crumbled; giving way to angry chants, fiery rhetoric and denial of the other’s basic humanity and nobility. The only difference from 1969 is that this time around, the nastiness is led by the right not the left. Limbaugh, Hannity, Palin, Beck and their ilk have replaced Jerry Rubin, Abby Hoffman and their ilk. The same self-righteous rage just spit from the opposite side of the fence.

Then a misguided nut job pulls a trigger and a congresswoman takes the Kent State kids place on the ground.

This is the kind of thing that happens when we forget the humanity of those with whom we disagree. It is a central reason why civil discourse is a must in the public realm. When you create an environment of violent rhetoric, violent action is a tiny step away.

And the worst offenders are folks who cling tightly to their Bibles and claim to be defending the faith. Christians have a long history of this kind of “defense of God” thinking. The problem is that the rhetoric of rage is about as un-Christian as you can get.

God the Father Almighty; the creator of the universe, the alpha and the omega, doesn’t need our puny help, or protection. To suggest otherwise is to deny His omnipotence and diminish His grandeur. And when I read the New Testament, I fail to see a Christ who condemns, belittles or dehumanizes anyone – not even the soldiers who nailed him to a cross. All I see there is acceptance and grace.

So where does the Christian Right get the notion that decidedly uncivil discourse is doing the will of God? And if it’s not following the will of God, then who does all the thunder and lighting serve? I could be wrong about this, but I’m thinking it might just be playing into Satan’s hands. He’s a sly devil, he is. He also loves the irony of the defenders of the faith destroying the faith. And we stand around with egg on our faces.

Of course, I could be wrong. Joe Anderson, author
______________
1 This was the official assessment of the Walker Commission. Dan Walker, who chaired the commission, became the governor of the state of Illinois.

DISCLAIMER: The Spirit Porch is a St. Stephen Lutheran Church community platform for ideas and conversations about faith and life. Because of this the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of St. Stephen Lutheran Church as an institution, or those of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Is It Important that Abraham was “Real” – or That He Is “in Us?”

January 2011

Recently I felt a wave of guilt sweep over me, as I read a “reminder” from the church office that my monthly blog was not only due, it was past due. Remberences of my tarnished youth swept over me: late homework, incomplete essays, and book reports that were best accomplished through the help of a once-popular comic book, Classics Illustrated (pity those of you who are too young to be unaware of this superior, pre-Cliff Notes means of gaining quick knowledge).

I was given email and phone forgiveness by Mary Knurek and Pastor Nathan, and encouraged to submit something as soon as possible. Note: the primary reason for my negligence was due to the fact that I’ve entered into the realm of those ancient ones we used to see on Sundays – the ones with all manner of health issues and even walking devices. In my own case, much of 2010 was spent in one form of surgical procedure or related healing cycle. By the time January 2011 rolled around, I had shelved “blogging” somewhere between “I’ll get to it” and “Maybe they’ll forget about it.”

Now that the cat is out of the bag, I hope that you’ll work with me as I attempt to share my thoughts on a subject that is near and very dear to my heart: Biblical metaphor.

During the healing process for arthroscopic knee surgery (which failed) and total left knee replacement (which I’m told is progressing satisfactorily) – an orthopedic passage which began in March 2010 and is still a work in process as 2011 begins, I came across a new book (more addictive than hard drugs to a publisher who can’t get enough). Written by a former Southern Baptist, tweaked by Roman Catholicism, and Episcopalian educated, John R. Coats’, Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis, offered me validation that I was far from alone in how I view (and have viewed since my years as a teen in a German Reformed congregation in suburban Philadelphia, PA) the Bible.

As I explored the pages of this fascinating work, Coates reinforced my feelings that the metaphors, found within the stories of the first book of the Bible, apply to all of us – the religious, less-religious and nonreligious alike. The lives portrayed in Genesis (love, loyalty, betrayal, stupidity, brilliance, greed, as well as madness) wonderfully illustrate how we (all of us) have inherited the moral and ethical DNA deeply embedded in this ancient text.

If, like me, you were raised in a family with strong-willed -- what I call “old school religion” grandparents, you might relate to how Bible characters (not to forget God) were portrayed. My grandfather drew the line in the sand, when it came to “knowing” these people: they were real, they lived, and they were far from “stories” used to illustrate a point. My grandmother once slapped me for telling her, after I fell and hit my head, remarking that it “hurt like the Devil.” She made it clear that one never “evokes” his name, because it makes him “live.” And…one never challenged the reality of these characters or asked for proof of their existence. “Historical characters” weren’t as important as “faith characters.”

Over the years, probably beginning when I was around twelve, the metaphor concept began to rattle around in my head. And by the time I was in my late teens and, definitely as a young married in my mid-twenties, the fear (“tyranny” is Coats’ word) within the Bible was lost to me. Today, in my own grandfather stage of life, the metaphors of the entire Bible (not just those illustrated in Genesis) bring a new appreciation for the “unhidden humanness” (Coats’ words) in all the people portrayed on those pages – including Jesus. It is through metaphor that I can read the Bible, comfortably participate in Bible study classes (such as the last one taught by Pastor Nathan, or the new one coming up this Spring), when listening to sermons, or discussion in one of the adult St. Stephen Sunday School classes.

Reading the Bible and reflecting on the vast array of metaphors found in every nook and cranny, has given me an entirely fresh approach to understanding. Rather than spending time, as my grandparents had on the “admonishments” found throughout the Bible – the rights, the wrongs, the good, the bad, metaphoric reading allows for reflection on our own lives (both individually and collectively). Those Bible characters that I grew up with (before I could read or write on my own) were no longer “people of story.” They were “me.” They lived out their lives in ways little different than my own. Their woes were mine. Their acts of bravery were mine – as well as those of stupidity. I agree with Coats, when he suggests that reflective use of scripture in teaching is a model that makes sense. It makes the Bible accessible to everyone – even those with no religious point of view.

While my point of view may not be for everyone, I appreciate you giving some consideration to it. And, if you agree or not, you might find Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis by John R. Coats a worthy read. Composed by:Dennis McClellan

Love and Guidance

We had the pleasure, this week, of having our granddaughter – age 3 – visiting us. Lily is the only grandchild, so you can just imagine how she is loved and doted upon. She lives in the north, so our in-person visits with her are widely spaced, and we use Skype to assist us in a “personal” communication as we watch her grow and develop, Because we’re not used to having a small child in our midst, we hang on her every word and gesture, we gasp if she stumbles, we hurt if she cries - in short, we’re in love with this precious child.

Even as we love Lily, we’re also mindful that she has free will and that her explorations will take her in directions that we know could be harmful; therefore we set limits on her such as a fence around the pool, belting into a car seat, not reaching to the stovetop. You see, out of love, we limit her access to danger and provide a supportive environment for her to explore and learn. She is dependent on her parents and other adults for her worldly needs just as we’re dependent on God for grace.

I’ve been reading, in Acts, how the early Christian church was provided leadership by God through the Holy Spirit, how the apostles were empowered to teach and heal, and how the Gentiles received the gifts of grace and faith. In much the same way that Lily is unaware of how her parents love and guide her daily, and attend to even the needs of which she is unaware, we can be sure that what we need for eternal life was provided by our God through the risen Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Sadly, Lily and other children are not the only ones unable to care for themselves. We heard about the children (and adults) of Haiti, still living in need. We heard Pastor Nathan exhort us to not only see the needs of others, but to find a way to act to help. Look around and find someone to love by providing for their needs. Remember that Jesus told us that what we do to the least, we have done to Him.

Author: Diane Bechtold

The Long View

Forward
January 2011

A National Public Radio segment this morning (December 20, 2010) said that Miriam Webster’s word for 2010 was austerity! It is one thing to hear this…but I know that many of us lived it. I have a privileged seat in our proverbial house. I see the lost jobs, hear about the struggling marriages, counsel the despairing, and my staff and I have fielded many calls from people in need. But I also see things turning. Many who have lost jobs have found jobs, homes that were overshadowed by foreclosure are safe again, and there is a smattering of hope in our world. There still remain trials and stress, but my prayer as we exit 2010 is that we might move from a hunkered down austerity and discover a new word for the year 2011.

If I might be so bold, I have an idea. I am casting my vote early for the word forward. I know. It is a simple word and pretty uncomplicated. I remember a conversation with my maternal uncle, David, a California almond grower, almost a decade ago. When he was approaching the 20-year mark in that particular vocation he was getting a bit restless. Through some soul searching he decided to remain in farming…a profession that even in the downturns has been good to him. But what sticks out so prominently in my mind is what got him through those hard patches of boredom and uncertainty. “Nathan,” he would say, “You’ve got to have things to look forward to!” In his life that would be trip a to their favorite vacation spot at Pismo Beach a couple times a year, the next Michael W. Smith concert, or managing the downs at the local Friday night high school varsity football games. He looked forward to things within his work as well (harvest time for all its hard work is actually revitalizing and fun…and reminds you why you do what you do), but having a diversity of things on the horizon gave him the motivation and energy to persist through difficult times.

At St. Stephen, I find myself looking forward to many new things that will be happening amongst us. Some of it is going to make our worship better, some of these new things are going to prepare us for the building of our new Community Life Center in the near future, and some of these things are simply going to widen our scope of impact on the world as God’s people.

So here’s my list of things I’m looking forward to at St. Stephen:

A family at SSLC has given a new digital camera for use in worship. Ever had a hard time seeing what’s going on during the sermon or children’s sermon? That’s about to change! Be patient with us as we learn how to use the new technology!
A new member is a local radio personality and has approached me about taking the audio from my sermons and turning them into a professionally produced Podcast. He’s created a demo, and it’s incredible. So starting in January…
In February we will begin a fund drive both in the congregation and community to raise $12,500.00 to make 50,000 meals for the people of Haiti. Yes…you read that right: 50,000 meals. Folks, we are going to have a HUGE impact!
When we begin construction on our new Community Life Center, we will lose the ability to use the Learning Center, Nursery, and Choir Room for more than nine months. To accommodate our needs for nursery space, Christian educational spaces for Sunday School, Solid Rock Youth activities, and choir rehearsals, things on our campus are going to get a bit tight. One of the ways we are going to get around that is by creating two Sunday School hours in the Fall of 2011…preparing ourselves for a year of transition. In addition, we will be moving the 9am worship service to 9:30am (we’ll do this in June 2011), and offering those two Sunday School hours concurrent with our worship services – one at 9:30am and the other at 11am. Because they are relatively close together and because we have a congregational ethic of worshipping with our kids, we are hoping that families will still choose to do worship at one hour and Sunday School at the other. Folks, I’m excited about this. It’s going to make our transition into new space easier, and it’s also going to create more space for kids, both now and the future. Oh…and we’ll all get an extra half hour of sleep on Sunday mornings!
I have been approached by leadership in the Synod to have St. Stephen be an Internship site for a student preparing to be a pastor. If all goes well, it looks as if there will be a grant that will pay for about half the cost of an Intern. This intern pastor would join us for a period of 12 months starting in late August. This is NOT hard and fast yet…but I’m excited. St. Stephen is exactly the sort of congregation that should be training the next generation of pastors!
This keeps on being put off…primarily because I have not needed another thing on my plate while finishing up my doctorate. But that should be done in the Spring, and in the Fall I will be planning a trip back to Haiti. Want to come along?

These are just some of the things that have me fired up for 2011 and moving forward in my heart and head. What are you looking forward to?

From my Longwood lanai…forward with all of you in mission and ministry for the sake of God’s kingdom! It is 2011! Let’s make this year great!

Pastor Nathan