July 3 - Everything We Know is Wrong

Everything We Know About Dragons is Wrong

                In dragon training, Hiccup learns the essential truth that Vikings believe about dragons: they are extremely dangerous, kill on sight. That is how every description of every dragon ends, “extremely dangerous, kill on sight.” (With one exception: the Night Fury which they basically know nothing about. They say to run and hide from a Night Fury.) They teach Hiccup that dragons will always go for the kill. Twice in this movie Hiccup’s father lead the Vikings on an expedition to eradicate their enemies the dragons. But Hiccup discovers a different path.

                By intuition, by trial and error, by following his heart Hiccup finds out that everything the Vikings know about dragons is wrong. They are not mindless killers. They do not always go for the kill. They are complex and deep. They hate eels. They like being scratched, and dragon-grass (like catnip), and they enjoy being treated with respect. Hiccup befriends the most fearsome of all dragons, the Night Fury and thereby learns that everything he has been taught about dragons is wrong.

                The world teaches us to fear strangers and hate our enemies. The world teaches us to strike first and strike hardest lest we appear to be weak. The world teaches us to look out for ourselves first, only the strong will survive, and those who die with the most toys win. But Jesus teaches a completely different way.

Luke 6:27-42

 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be compassionate, just as your God is compassionate.

 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

 He also told them a parable: ‘Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Following Jesus is not all about getting our sins forgiven. It is all about living differently in the world. Everything we have been taught about the world is wrong, and no wonder it makes so many of us miserable, and leaves so many hungry and angry and fearful.

Good News: Love is the basis for the way we live in the world.

Subject: Following Jesus challenges us to relearn the very foundations of life.

Experiential Field: When we can discard our old teaching, we experience a wider vision of life.

In other words, I hope that our worship can help people see the world in a whole new way.

                Which means also to look at SCUCC in new ways. What do we need to unlearn? Where do we need to reach out and encounter a Night Fury in new ways? When do we drop our knife in the sand and become a friend to our feared enemy? How do we do church in new ways, and how does following Jesus challenge us to do that?

General thoughts about worship

Here is a thought I’d like us to ponder about worship in general. I’ve been reading “The Art of Curating Worship” by Mark Pierson. I’m not all the way through yet, but this idea in particular grabbed me.  In this section, Pierson talks about “slow worship” not in the sense of its tempo but in correlation to the slow food movement. Its hallmarks are integrity, authenticity, and originality. It is a shift from the fast-food, one-size-fits-all kind of worship most of us have endured.

Pete Ward first drew my attention to this in his provocative and book, Liquid Church. He writes, "The church must change its emphasis from meeting people's spiritual needs to stimulating their desires.” Slow worship assumes that people-inside and outside the church-are looking for an encounter with God. They might not give that phrase the same content as we would, but that's their desire-to encounter God. Desire is much deeper, less predictable and manageable, and more controversial than need. It can sound-but isn't necessarily so-much more consumer driven, as if needs have greater spiritual integrity and legitimacy than desires. But they don't. Our culture has made a religion out of meeting needs. Slow worship works on the assumption that everyone has some level of spiritual desire and that worship can and should be designed to engage with that desire. (emphasis mine)

Mark Pierson. The Art of Curating Worship: Reshaping the Role of Worship Leader (pp. 72-73). Kindle Edition.

So, what do you think about worship’s job to be awakening desire for the Divine? Not necessarily answering questions, not solving problems, but being the appetizer for the feast that is spirituality. Let us talk amongst ourselves!

June 26: The Wrong Kind of Viking

June 26: The Wrong Kind of Viking

Sometimes the “why” we do things comes to us after we get started. So why a series on “How to Train Your Dragon”? The heart of the film is Hiccup’s exploration of his own identity. His father, and in fact the whole village, apply enormous pressure for Hiccup to become a fearless, foul-mouthed, dragon-killing Viking. It doesn’t take much of a glance to see that Hiccup is none of those things. At first Hiccup tries to live up to these expectations, but soon discovers a whole new way of being a Viking, one which saves him and the whole village. It also ushers in a whole new way of life for them all.

                We will use “How to Train Your Dragon” to begin SCUCC’s exploration of who we are and who we want to be. We will let Hiccup guide us in our conversations and explorations.

                This first week the contrasts between Hiccup and his Viking village-mates are all too clear. He already knows his obvious shortcomings. His inventive nature is at odds with the Vikings’ more direct approach to the marauding dragons. And finally, when he actually gets his opportunity to perform the action that defines a good Viking, he fails: he finds he cannot kill a dragon. Hiccup is the wrong kind of Viking.

Ephesians 6:10-18

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

Good News: We are given the means to transform the world.

Subject: We cannot be agents of positive transformation by using violence or oppression. We have to learn a new way.

Experiential Field: In the process of transformation and growth, we will experience confusion and doubt but it is worth the journey.

                As I said last week, the early Christians we poor fits for their society. This passage is an ironic take on the standard mind-set of that ancient day. Rome was the prevailing power of the day, symbolized by its ever-present military. The scabbard-belt, the breastplate, the army boots, the shield and the helmet were all symbols of a Roman soldier’s power over the peasant. The author of Ephesians (likely not Paul himself) used those symbols ironically to convey the message that Christians must respond in a different mode than do the Romans. Christians do not arm themselves with metal or with strength, but with justice, truth, and peace.

                The double-irony is that many Christians read this passage as a call to battle. They miss the original irony of a call to peace. They read as an exaltation of Rome’s methods and an invitation for Christians to adopt Rome’s militancy. We need to reclaim the complexity and nuance of this passage, and make clear the contrast that this Epistle makes between the Way of Christ and the ways of the world.

                Just as Hiccup is the wrong kind of Viking, so we as followers of Christ make the wrong kind of Romans. If, like Hiccup, we cannot fit into the world’s expectations for violence and self-centeredness, then what is our role? How do we live as ambassadors of peace in a war-addicted world?

June 19 and forward

June 19

This Sunday is Fathers Day, and I’m not sure this direction particularly fits.  I’m open to ideas.

One of the things I brought back from my Annual Conference was gratitude that I am in ministry where we are Open and Affirming and that we do not injure each other with the ongoing “debate” about homosexuality and the church. But more importantly, I realized that it is not enough to be proud that we are Open and Affirming.  There is still too much persecution of GLBT people both here in the USA and around the world. Uganda keeps trying to make homosexuality a capital offense. Our own politicians continue to use sexuality as an election ploy, even as our own citizens are denied basic rights. What actions do we need to take, what voices raised, what exiles welcomed home?

Scripture: Mark 3:31-35 Jesus’ true family, whoever hears the Word and does it is Christ’s family.

Good News: Blood does not make family, love does.

Subject: Our doing of the Word includes all people, building a kin-dom of equality and hospitality.

Experiential Field: Our experience of being welcomed empowers us to extend that welcome to all.

“How to Train Your Dragon” Series –Beginning June 26

Week One: “I Can’t Kill Dragons”: A Wrong Kind of Viking

Scene: Hiccup finds the downed Night Terror, but frees it instead of killing it. Then at home, his father tells him what kind of Viking he should be.

We as progressive Christians often are made to feel like the wrong kind of Christians by the voices of popular religion.

Scripture:  Ephesians 6:10-18 – put on the full armor of Christ. Though many Christians have used this passage to justify military action, the author more likely was taking Rome’s prevalent mode of strength and using it as an ironic metaphor which actually calls on Christians to arm themselves with only love and not with literal armor. It is a call not for strength of arms but of heart and spirit. Early Christians were suspect because they would not serve in the military. They were exemplifying a new way of being Roman (which, by the way, eventually changed the Empire). Hiccup was the wrong kind of Viking because he wouldn’t kill dragons. We are the wrong kind of soldiers for this violent world.

Week Two: “Everything We Know About Dragons is Wrong”: Learning Anew the Ways of Dragons

Scene(s): Hiccup studying the book about dragons (which always says, “kill on sight”), then the scenes where he really learns about the dragons.

We are learning new ways of following Christ in this complicated, fearful world.

Scripture: Luke 6:27-42 – Love for enemies. This is a part of Jesus’ teach sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain. If there is a codex of Christian teaching, then the Beatitudes and these passages are it. Jesus is teaching a new way of approaching the world, ourselves, God, and each other. The Vikings saw the dragons as enemies but Hiccup began to see them as something different. We see Muslims, immigrants, all sorts of people as enemies. Jesus sees them as family. Everything we know about our enemies may be wrong. We need to learn to love them.

Week Three: “Doing Something Crazy”: Inviting Others to Join in Our Adventure

Scene: After Toothless is captured and forced to reveal the dragons’ nest, Hiccup teaches the other apprentices to ride dragons and rescues the Vikings

It’s when we invite others to learn what we have learned about following Christ that we can change the world.

Scripture: Acts 10:34-48 – Peter welcomes the Gentiles. Gentiles were the traditional enemies of the Jews, but following Christ meant that they were invited to join in on the Way, too. Peter preaches that God shows no partiality. Hiccup invites his rivals to learn his ways of interacting with the dragons in order to save his father and the other Vikings. God needs us to invite others, to welcome them extravagantly in the mission and ministry of Christ. In the terms of what makes sense in the world, this is a crazy step. But in a world that is tearing itself apart with fear and hatred, we need to do something this kind of crazy.

As we move into the series, I will expand these ideas with experiential fields and such.